Mayor Ryan lays out Buffalo’s fiscal reality, proposed solutions in testimony before state legislature

Mayor Calls for Partnership to Stabilize City Finances, Prevent Need for Cuts to Core Services

BUFFALO — Mayor Sean M. Ryan today testified before the New York State Legislature at the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the 2026 Executive Budget Proposal, where he laid out the City of Buffalo’s fiscal condition and called for a partnership with the State to restore long-term financial stability.

Mayor Sean Ryan

The Mayor’s full written testimony has been submitted to the Legislature and is available at the New York State Senate website. His video recorded testimony will be uploaded to the New York State Senate You Tube channel following the conclusion of the hearing.

In his testimony, Mayor Ryan described a city operating under the weight of years of unrealistic budgeting practices and one-time revenue solutions that have depleted City reserves and masked a growing structural deficit. He made clear that Buffalo must both increase local revenue and secure short-term state support to stabilize its finances.

“The City of Buffalo is saddled with the consequences of about a generation of fiscal mismanagement,” Mayor Ryan said. “For years, the city has relied on one-shot revenues and unrealistic budgets. Now, the bill has finally come due.”

Mayor Ryan emphasized that Buffalo’s fiscal challenges are not the result of excessive spending, but of constrained revenue growth over many years.

• Buffalo has the low est per-capita total tax levy among upstate cities. Between 2007 and 2024, the City’s tax levy largely remained flat or declined.

• Over the past decade, the City’s expenditure growth has remained well below inflation.

• Buffalo has the lowest per-capita personnel spending of any upstate city, and more than 70% of City spending goes toward fixed personnel costs and benefits.

“My administration is prioritizing disciplined and efficient spending, but this is not a problem we can cut our way out of,” Mayor Ryan said. “Our services have already been cut to the bone—there is not much left to trim. But if we don’t begin to close our budget gaps, the only option we would have is to further reduce our police force, fire department, and city workers. That’s not something we’re interested in doing.”

The Mayor detailed the real-world consequences of underinvestment, including aging water infrastructure, under-resourced public works operations, and community centers in serious disrepair.

“All of these problems are solvable,” Mayor Ryan said. “We know we can do better. But that starts with honest budgeting of both revenues and expenditures, and honest and responsible planning.”

As part of his testimony, Mayor Ryan requested inclusion of five Article VII proposals in the State Budget to provide both short-term stability and long-term revenue solutions.

The most immediate request is legislation authorizing a second round of bonding through the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority. This legislation would allow the City to amortize potential revenue shortfalls while long-term revenue measures take effect.

“This [legislation] would not create an obligation for Buffalo to borrow,” Mayor Ryan said. “It would just be an option. It would have to be Council-approved.”

The Mayor also proposed amendments to legislation governing the Buffalo Parking and Mobility Authority to strengthen governance and oversight while the City evaluates the long-term fiscal implications of parking ramp restructuring enacted in last year’s State Budget.

In addition, Mayor Ryan requested authorization for three targeted revenue measures:

• A supplemental tax on vacant and abandoned properties to reduce blight and off set the public costs associated with neglected parcels.

• A restructuring of eligibility for the homestead property tax rate so that only owner-occupied one- or two family homes qualify, aligning the policy with its original intent of protecting home owners rather than extending the lower rate to out-of-town investors.

• Authorization for a two tiered real estate transfer tax within the City of Buffalo, paid by the seller.

“We know we can’t rely on state support to fix everything that we do, so we’ll be seek ing property and tax increases over the next three years,” Mayor Ryan said. “But we also don’t want to overburden the people of the City of Buffalo, so we would like to have other ways to generate revenues.”

Because the proposed revenue measures would not generate funds until the 2027 2028 City fiscal year, Mayor Ryan also requested direct temporary State assistance to stabilize Buffalo’s budget in the interim.

“With your help and our commitment to a three-year soft-landing plan, we can help avoid the harmful cuts and put Buffalo on a path to fiscal stability,” Mayor Ryan said.