Homeowners in Buffalo, New York, face the prospect of an 8% increase in their property tax under the $622 million budget proposed by Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon.
WBEN reports Scanlon is proposing the tax hike to fill a $17 million mid-year budget fall that he inherited from Byron Brown, who resigned as mayor last October. Buffalo is facing a projected $70 million structural deficit in the upcoming budget.
Scanlon insisted the 8% property tax levy increase will generate around $13.7 million.
“I know when people hear 8%, they become uneasy with it. But just for practical application on a home that’s assessed at $150,000 for next year, that will be an $11 a month increase,” said Scanlon. “We’ve had conversations with the council about that 8%. We think that’s the number it needs to be. If you start dropping that down, we’ve got to start looking at cutting other things. Then you start getting into some of the stuff that really impacts residents.”
Scanlon acknowledged the property tax will not completely fill the budge void, so he was proposing the creation of parking authority for the city and the creation of a 3% hotel occupancy tax.
