Snow May Drive Property Taxes Up In Buffalo, New York

It was just a few weeks ago when more than 5 feet of snow fell on the part of Buffalo as the combination of two back-to-back lake effect snow storms shut down Buffalo and the surrounding region. It took several days for the region to dig out fully, and during that clean up schools and businesses needed to close as well.

Now, for an area that routinely receives around 100 inches of snow per year, the idea that snow needs to be cleared shouldn't be much of a surprise. Especially considering we live in an area prone to lake-effect snow storms that can drop a lot of snow in a short period of time; however, this year, it seems that city officials are warning that if the snow keeps falling, residents of Buffalo should be prepared to pay higher taxes.

The city of Buffalo routinely has among the lowest taxes in the region, and tax increases are a rare phenomenon at best. But, Buffalo, like many cities, are strapped for cash as Federal COVID funds begin to run out, we maybe seeing more tax increases year over year.

The Buffalo News calls these potential tax increases a "snow tax." During a press conference last week, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown noted that continued snow storms could increase property taxes.

This year’s budget is going to be challenging. There’s absolutely no question about it... I just want to bring it to the attention of the public that the expectation people have, what they want to see, what they want done, is very expensive. When you layer other responsibilities onto that, the cost is just going to go up.
-Byron Brown, Mayor of Buffalo New York

According to the Buffalo News, the two January back-to-back snowstorms cost the city more than $6.5 million, including overtime and other costs. The Blizzard of 2022, which resulted in the loss of more than 40 lives in Western New York, cost the city approximately $10 million in comparison.

The city's new snow plan, which involves using private snow crews to supplement city crews, has increased snow removal efficiency, but it has also ballooned costs. Those private crews amounted to around $5 million of the more than $6.5 million spent. This amount is truly significant considering City officials have only budgeted approximately $7.7 million to cover street cleaning and snow removal for the entire year.

As a city of Buffalo property owner, I personally wouldn't necessarily mind paying a higher tax bill to ensure our roads are clear and the people are safe. We'll have to wait and see if this materializes, which, given the winter we've had so far, who knows what to expect.

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