By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – The Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority Monday told Mayor Anthony Masiello to go back and hammer out a realistic four-year plan. The Control Board voted against the mayor's initial plan, saying it failed to provide them with enough information to make a complete, fair and accurate assessment.
It was scathing. The Control Board said new sales tax revenues were unreasonable. They said police and fire contracts are too costly. And they said the school district's plan, by its own admission, does not meet student needs.
But they also acknowledged that the city may have exhausted all possibilities, short of borrowing or assistance from the state. Still, Chairman Thomas Baker says that needs to be better documented.
"Credibility, accountability, whatever you want to call it. But I don't think we're quite there yet, vis-a-vis whatever steps might be able to be taken by the various covered entities in the city of Buffalo," said Baker.
Without state mandate relief or other aid, the city has few options. The mayor can make a "declaration of need" to the Control Board, asking for up to $175 million dollars in borrowing. He can make more cuts in personnel and services. Or he can come up with new sources of revenue, which he has the power to impose, such as additional fees. But even Control Board members acknowledge that would amount to only a drop in the bucket of what is needed to fill the growing budget gap. Masiello says the time has come for serious talks with County Executive Joel Giambra about significant consolidations.
"He believes, and I believe there are some synergies there with parks, and public works and highways -- but let's get it done," said Masiello. "There are perhaps some privatizations we can do - let's get them done. There are other collaborations that I've thought about or he's thought about that we haven't agreed on.
"But the fact of the matter is we both need to be responsible in the ways we provide services to people in the city and the county. Now is the time to get real and I think we'll rise to the task."
The Mayor has until October first to submit a revised plan. If the board finds the new plan unacceptable, they can vote to reject it outright and impose there own. And there's a lot to lose if that happens. They could impose a bottomline limit -- and tell the mayor to do whatever it takes, to not go one penny over.