Design and Construction Report staff writer
About eight months after Buffalo’s Common Council approved more than $110 million in capital improvement projects, construction has yet to begin on any of the planned work. A dispute between Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon’s administration and the Office of the City Comptroller over bonding authority has stalled progress.
Scanlon says the delay is jeopardizing jobs, infrastructure repairs, school upgrades, and investments in cultural institutions.
“These are shovel-ready projects that need to be invested in,” Scanlon said at a press conference Wednesday. “However, not a single shovel is in the ground on one of these projects.
“This is not about availability of funding. This is not about project readiness. This is about inaction. But more than that, they are promises—promises to improve lives, generate jobs and transform neighborhoods.”
Projects on hold include $2.2 million for Buffalo cultural organizations and 21 capital projects at Buffalo Public Schools, involving work on ventilation, HVAC systems, lead abatement, and pool repairs.
“There are roads sitting on hold that, if they don’t get awarded soon, are going to be in terrible condition for another winter,” Gary Hill, president of Union Concrete and Construction Corporation, said at the press conference.
According to Hill, the delay of about $130 million in road projects is costing more than 1,000 construction jobs over the summer.
“This has to be solved so that we can move on, put the people to work and fix the roads,” Hill said. “I am thoroughly disgusted that this is being held up.”
Scanlon attributes the delay to City Comptroller Barbara Miller-Williams’ refusal to issue the Bond Anticipation Notes (BANs) required to finance the projects.
In response, Miller-Williams cited the city and Buffalo Public Schools’ failure to submit a Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Priority List that fits within the $28 million debt cap established in her Fiscal Year 2024–2025 Comptroller’s Estimate and Report, filed on Aug. 1, 2024.
“Fiscal responsibility is not optional—it’s a requirement under the City Charter and a necessity for Buffalo’s long-term financial health,” Comptroller Miller-Williams stated. “This debt cap ensures that we remain on solid financial ground while meeting the City and Buffalo Public Schools most urgent capital needs.”
She said her office has made multiple requests and good-faith efforts to collaborate with the administration and BPS, including in-person meetings and written correspondences, but has not received a revised priority list to date.
As a result, the comptroller will proceed with issuing a $7 million Bond Anticipation Note (BAN) to fund capital projects for Busti Avenue, Cars Sharing Main Street, and Phase One of Jefferson Avenue—all supported by federal funds.
“This decision was not made lightly,” stated Miller-Williams. “But my obligation is to the taxpayers and citizens to safeguard the city’s long-term fiscal health. I remain open to working with the Administration and BPS if they choose to bring forward a Capital Budget request that does not exceed $28 million debt cap and complies with the standards we are legally and fiscally bound to uphold.”
