Buffalo Common Council March Report
By Council President David A. Franczyk & Majority Leader Marc A. Coppola

Water Rate Increase: The Council does not support the proposed increase in water rates effective July 1, 2004. Water rates are set by the Water Board and not by the Council. The public is encouraged to attend a hearing on Monday March 29th at 5:00 in the Council Chambers located on the 13th floor of City Hall to express their opinion regarding the proposed water rate increase.
In 2002, the City considered proposals from four companies who were interested in operating the water system. After reviewing the four proposals, the City entered into a five-year contract with a private company called American Water Services. The contract contains a clause that allows the City to cancel the contract at any time. Councilmember Bonnie E. Russell has sponsored a Resolution calling for the Mayor and the Water Board to reconsider the previous water proposals and perhaps terminate the current contract with American Water Services. The Council also approved a Resolution sponsored by Councilmember Richard A. Fontana calling for the City Comptroller to conduct a financial and performance audit of the water system in an effort to assess where dollar savings can be found to lessen or prevent any future increases. Both Resolutions were referred to the Council’s Finance Committee for consideration.

Parking Meter Advertising: The Council on March 17th approved a contract with a private company to advertise on city parking meters. Councilmember Joseph Golombek was the lead sponsor on this issue that is expected to raise $60,000 to $100,000 in additional revenues for the City. While other cities have conducted pilot projects for meter advertising, Buffalo is one of the first cities in the country to enter into a three-year contract for meter advertising.

Auditing all City Utility Accounts: The Council approved the hiring of a company to conduct an audit of all electric, gas and telecommunication accounts. The purpose of the audit, sought by Councilmember Marc A. Coppola, is to determine if the City is being billed properly for its utility expenses. If the private company which has been hired finds errors which results in the City being refunded money due to over billing, the company will receive a percentage of any errors it uncovers. If the audit does not determine any billing errors the City will not be charged at all for the audit. In these difficult budget times, the Council is making every effort to determine that the City is paying only for utilities it actually uses.

Buffstat: Councilmember Joseph Golombek has advocated for two years to begin a program called Citistat, which has been successfully implemented, in cities across the country. The Mayor recently announced that the City would begin implementing a similar program called Buffstat. This new computerized system will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of city services. Using a sophisticated mapping system and data from various departments, the city has determined the worst properties in each Council district. The information will allow police, housing inspections and other city departments to focus in a coordinated fashion to address problem properties. In the future Buffstat will expand to focus on other city services.

Implementing a Canadian Prescription Drug Program: Health care expenses are one of the fastest rising costs for individuals and for the City of Buffalo. Many cities across the country are looking into purchasing prescription drugs from Canada in order to reduce health care costs. Due to government price controls prescription drugs cost 33% to 80% less in Canada. Over a six-month period the City of Springfield Massachusetts saved $750,000 utilizing a Canadian prescription drug program. Boston Massachusetts will be starting a pilot project this summer, which is estimated to save the $1.5 million per year. Majority Leader Marc A. Coppola, sponsored a Resolution which requests the Commissioner of Human Resources and the Corporation Counsel to investigate this issue and report back to the Council.
Painting of School Crosswalks: The Council approved funding to provide for repainting of crosswalks located at school intersections. The crosswalks will be repainted starting in June, in preparation for the next school year. This repainting will help make crosswalks clear to motorists and provide protection to children who must cross intersections for school. Additional crosswalks will be painted downtown and in the medical campus area located near Roswell Park.

Addressing Funds Owed to the City: The Council recently received a document listing $612,000 in unpaid demolition bills to the City dating back to 1999. Many of the bills are unfortunately uncollectable due to individuals and corporations filing bankruptcy. To ensure however that every effort is made to collect funds owed to the City, the Council under the leadership of Finance Committee Chair Brian C. Davis has directed obtaining the services of private collection companies to seek payment. A report will be made to the Council within 60 days as to the success of collection efforts.

Addressing Dog Control: Dealing with stray dogs, unleashed dogs and dog attacks are a continuing problem in the City of Buffalo. A Resolution sponsored by Council President David A. Franczyk, requests the City Clerk to develop and implement increased efforts to license dogs. It is estimated that out of 70,000 dogs in the City only 10,000 are licensed. The Resolution further requests that efforts be made to improve services at the City Animal Shelter and seeks comments from the city law department, the Department of Public Works, City Clerk and the SPCA. Councilmember Dominick J. Bonifacio, has also been actively seeking to strengthen dog enforcement actions.
Create a Board of Trustees for City of Buffalo Libraries: The Buffalo and Erie County Library System consists of 52 libraries of which 15 are located in the City of Buffalo. All of the libraries located outside the City of Buffalo have their own Boards of Trustees, picked by and from their own communities, which decide how to spend library funds. The Buffalo libraries are the only branches that do not have their own Board of Trustees. The Resolution sponsored by Councilmember James D. Griffin encourages the formation of a Board of Trustees for the 15 libraries located in Buffalo. The Council has not approved the Resolution as of yet and will discuss the issue further in a committee meeting.

Drug Asset Forfeiture Funds: The Buffalo Police Department currently has $281,000 in drug asset forfeiture funds. These funds are due to the seizing of money and property from drug dealers. Councilmember Antoine M. Thompson has requested that Police Commissioner Rocco J. Diina appear before the Council’s Finance Committee to discuss utilizing these funds on behalf of community crime fighting efforts.

Peace Bridge Design: The Bi-National Bridge Committee chaired by Councilmember Dominic J. Bonifacio, observed interactive computerized presentations of design proposals for a new Bridge Plaza. The computerized presentation allowed those in attendance to see up close designs from many vantage points and follow the path of vehicles. The hope is to have a bridge and plaza design finalized by the end of 2004.

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