Mayor Brown: “Give me the tools to help us help ourselves”

Mayor Byron W. Brown traveled to Albany to present testimony to the New York State Joint Legislative Fiscal Committees regarding Governor David A. Paterson’s 2009-10 recommended State Budget.

“When Governor Paterson asked me what it would take to transform Buffalo, I told him what I will tell you today: Give me the tools to help us help ourselves,” Mayor Brown said in his testimony. “We have proved that we have successfully turned the corner, but we need New York State’s support to ensure that we will stay on that path to economic vitality and stability.”

In his testimony, the Mayor highlighted the fact that Buffalo has experienced a significant increase in economic development, with over $4 billion in public and private sector development, which has been aided by the Empire Zone Program.

In an effort to continue the path of fiscal recovery that the City of Buffalo is currently on, the Mayor requested that NYS authorize new sources of City revenue, and eliminate Albany’s practice of taking substantial shares of locally generated revenue.  He also requested that no additional state imposed mandates be imposed, as they only serve to challenge recovery efforts.

The Mayor presented four key factors to transforming Buffalo to the joint legislative panel:

1. State Authorization for New Sources of City Revenue
2. Implementation of a “Say Yes to Education Program” in Buffalo
3. Restoration of $18.9 million in eliminated state aid, including $15.2 AIM funding, $2.5 million in efficiency grants and $1.2 million in the state’s Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS)
4. Preservation of Empire Zone Program to revitalize Buffalo’s Urban Core

These four points stress the importance of public safety, education and business growth throughout Buffalo, and have been at the forefront of the Brown Administration for the past three years.