Buffalo Mayor And Common Council Agree On City Budget

After more than a month of debate and tons of public comments and opinions, officials from the City of Buffalo have come to an agreement on the city’s spending plan for the rest of 2026 and the first half of 2027 and residents of New York’s second largest city are in for a big tax increase, just not as high as initially thought.

In the Buffalo Common Council meeting that happened on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, the nine members of the city council voted on the budget that Mayor Sean Ryan submitted in April.

That proposed budget did not pass, and council members proposed an amended budget, which passed in a 5-4 vote. Common Council Members Joel Feroleto, David Rivera, Rasheed NC Wyatt, Christopher Scanlon, and Mitch Nowakowski; while Council Members Leah Halton-Pope, Zeneta Everhart, Joseph Golombek, and Bryan Bollman voted no.

The initial budget submitted to the council included a nearly 26% tax levy increase which used what was described as realistic numbers.

READ MORE: Buffalo Residents Can Use New Calculator To Estimate Property Tax Increase

The newly approved budget has what amounts to a 19% increase in the levy, which would amount to an estimated tax increase of around $248 per year for the average Buffalo homeowner.

With a more than $100 million deficit for next fiscal year, this new $681 million budget will close that gap and see Buffalo invest in services that had been ignored by years.

The new budget, taxes, services, and other impacts all take effect on July 1st. You can review the budget and proceedings from the Common Council meeting on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, here.

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