Deidre Williams
The Buffalo News, N.Y.
(TNS)
Jan. 4—A Buffalo Common Council member wants the Council to reject future American Rescue Plan spending unless the city amends the plan to buy more equipment and vehicles that first responders can use during snow emergencies like the Christmas week blizzard.
South District Council Member Christopher P. Scanlon recently filed several resolutions he said are aimed at making sure front-line workers are properly equipped.
“The goal behind all of the resolutions working in unison is to ensure that public works, police and fire have the necessary equipment to respond when called upon,” Scanlon said. “The men and women of these departments do fantastic work, but they have to have the tools necessary.”
Among his resolutions: Use American Rescue Plan funds to purchase additional equipment for the fire, police and public works departments.
Buffalo received about $331 million in the federal stimulus money, with millions of dollars earmarked to expand job readiness programs, forgive overdue water and sewer bills, launch a public health initiative and provide affordable housing among other initiatives.
Meanwhile the public works, fire and police departments “have been regularly underfunded,” Scanlon said.
His resolution calls for buying sidewalk snow removal equipment, fire trucks, SUVs with four-wheel drive for Buffalo police as well as snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and “other necessary equipment to right-size the departments.”
The city’s Finance Department should amend the plan and file purchase orders for the equipment no later than Feb. 2, he said.
If not, he wants the Common Council to reject any further spending of American Rescue Plan funds.
“The American Rescue Plan funds we have on hand,” Scanlon said. “The capital budget and operating budget only come up at certain times of the year. So we have this money at our disposal right now, and unless it’s flagged for some reason that we can’t spend it, I think we need to utilize some of it to right-size these departments with the necessary equipment.”
Niagara Council Member David Rivera said he agrees with the idea under the right circumstances.
“If there’s a need and it’s not covered under our capital budget or citywide budget … I would agree that we have to do it,” Rivera said.
The problem, however, may not be with equipment, he said.
“We had so much equipment because we had the National Guard. We had the county. We had the city,” Rivera said. “I’m just trying to figure this out. We had more equipment than before, so is it a question of equipment?”
Rivera wants an evaluation of the total operation “to make sure that we’re utilizing everything we have and that there’s coordination.”
Two out of the past three snowstorms in Buffalo were severe enough to qualify for federal disaster declarations, Scanlon said.
Scanlon said the Department of Public Works’ snow removal plan should include how to handle larger snowfalls and blizzards.
The current snow removal plan addresses snowfalls of 6 to 10 inches. The plan needs to be amended to include snowfalls of 11 to 36 inches and blizzards, he said.
He wants an updated plan to be filed by Jan. 24.
Scanlon wants to redirect $500,000 from the South District-specific capital improvements to be used to purchase two snowplows. But first, the corporation counsel should offer an opinion on the Council’s authority to amend the capital budget after it was adopted last month, he said.
The city has a