Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz is raising the alarm to leaders in Buffalo such as Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon, common council and the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority (BFSA). All in response to the proposed 2025-2026 fiscal budget unveiled by Scanlon in early April.
In the letter obtained from a source by BTPM NPR, Poloncarz recognizes that the city has faced a "impending fiscal crisis for years," but that one of Scanlon's most high-profile ways of helping balance the budget, may not even hit city coffers during this fiscal year like outlined.
That would be the sale of city-owned parking ramps by establishing an authority. It needs state legislature approval, which it currently doesn't have. Even if that were to happen, Poloncarz noted, the bond process to sell them could take time. Perhaps longer than the current fiscal year where Scanlon projects in his budget.
Poloncarz mentioned a similar situation the county ran into shortly before the "red-green crisis," under then-County Executive Joel Giambra, when they offloaded the Erie County Medical Center into a "standalone authority." The county ended up getting $85 million, but due to bond requirements, was on the hook for ECMC's future debt payments.
Fiscal advisors to Erie County also raised question about the true value of the city's parking ramps, leading Poloncarz to wonder what work Scanlon's administration has done to estimate their value at $26.5 million. He's calling on that research to be publicly released in the letter, which was addressed to BFSA's executive director, Jeanette Robe.
In addition, Poloncarz criticized the 3% city hotel occupancy tax, another proposal that needs state legislature approval, citing Visit Buffalo Niagara's opposition. The county executive believes while it won't hurt individual visitors to the city, it could impact larger group bookings like sports tournaments and tours.
The letter also raises issue with the reliance on $11 million in revenue sharing for this upcoming fiscal year from the Seneca Nation's downtown Buffalo Creek Casino. Talks between Seneca leadership and Governor Kathy Hochul for a new compact haven't been a large priority since a stalled agreement in 2023.
First-year Seneca President J.C. Seneca has previously told BTPM NPR that he is first gauging input from the Seneca people, before seriously coming to the table with Hochul and her team. Some insiders even say the Seneca Nation may push for no revenue sharing at all.
BTPM NPR has reached out to Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon and Erie County Executive Poloncarz for comment.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz's letter, as obtained by BTPM NPR, can be read in full by clicking the text below:
