CITY OF BUFFALO

RECOVERY PLAN

STATE AND LOCAL 

FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS

2021 REPORT

VERSION 1.0

AUGUST 31, 2021
i

City of Buffalo

American Rescue Plan Act

Recovery Plan

State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds

2021 Report

General Overview ...................................................................................................... 1

Executive Summary.................................................................................................... 1

Uses of Funds ............................................................................................................. 2

Promoting Equitable Outcomes................................................................................ 11

Community Engagement.......................................................................................... 12

Labor Practices ......................................................................................................... 14

Use of Evidence ......................................................................................................... 14

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category ............................................................ 16

Project Inventory.....................................................................................................20

ARP2.3-05: Wraparound Services Support for Job Training Program Enrollees.. 20

ARP2.7-09: Creation of a Neighborhood Improvement Corps................................. 20

ARP2.1-02: Community Food Security .................................................................... 20

ARP3.5-14: Mayor’s Youth Employment Expansion ............................................... 21

ARP1.12-.01: Public Health Equity Clinic Initiative .............................................. 21

ARP2.7-07: Northland Workforce Training Center Scholarship ............................ 21

ARP2.7-08: Skills Based Job Readiness Program................................................... 22

ARP5.12-21: Replacing Old Lead Lines (ROLL) Expansion................................... 22

ARP6.1-25: Road Maintenance Fund ...................................................................... 22

ARP2.10-11: Community Center Renovation Program ........................................... 23

ARP2.2-05: Garbage User-Fee Assistance Program ................................................ 23

ARP6.1-24: Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures....................................................... 23

ARP3.9-16: Masten Park/Johnny B. Wiley Reconstruction Project ....................... 23

ARP3.9-15: Park Access Equity Fund...................................................................... 24

ARP3.16-19: Neal Dobbins Restorative Justice and Public Safety Fund............... 24

ARP2.10-12: Frontline Arts Organization Sustainability Fund............................. 24

ARP2.11-13: Cultural Institution Support Program............................................... 25

ARP3.10-17: Affordable Housing Advancement Fund............................................ 25
ii

ARP3.15-18: Healthy Homes Inspections Program ................................................. 25

ARP5.2-20: Smart Sewer and Water Infrastructure Buildout................................ 26

ARP2.2-.03: Water and Sewer Debt Forgiveness Program...................................... 26

ARP2.9-10: Minority Owned Businesses Assistance Fund...................................... 26

ARP6.1-26: Buffalo Urban Development Corporation ............................................ 27

ARP6.1-23: Buffalo Fire Department SCBA Upgrades........................................... 27

ARP7.1-27: Administrative and Evaluation Costs.................................................. 27

ARP6.1-22: Revenue Loss Replacement ................................................................... 27

Appendix A: Maps.....................................................................................................28

Appendix B: Buffalo Transformation Fund Survey .........................................32

Appendix C: American Rescue Plan Preliminary Draft Comments .............33

Appendix D: Common Council Approval of Mayor’s Proposed Spending 

Plan .............................................................................................................................34
1

General Overview

Executive Summary

The City of Buffalo’s American Rescue Plan spending plan (“ARP Spending 

Plan”) is the culmination of months of research, community outreach, public 

comment and feedback, and discussion with subject matter experts in a wide array

of fields. The ARP Spending Plan recognizes the once-in-a-generation opportunity 

the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (“SLFRF”) represents, which is a chance 

for local leaders to identify the best way to address both the immediate and longterm causes of disparate health and economic outcomes which occurred during the 

COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Buffalo applied the knowledge gathered through 

input and feedback sessions to work within the supplied federal guidelines to craft 

an ARP Spending Plan that utilizes social programs and capital projects to address 

existing and exacerbated disparities in communities while leveraging additional 

resources and partnerships to streamline implementation of the plan elements. 

The City of Buffalo received a $331,356,932 allocation and will implement

twenty-six (26) programs across six (6) of the seven (7) expenditure categories

eligible for SLFRF investment. The ARP Spending Plan will: 

 Provide direct relief to low-income residents in the forms of financial 

payments or debt relief with few administrative burdens to people who have 

been directly or indirectly impacted by the pandemic or who live in 

neighborhoods disproportionally impacted (either socially, economically, or 

racially) as a result of the pandemic; 

 Provide historically underserved residents with jobs of job-training programs 

and support so they can enjoy greater social and economic mobility through 

the attainment of good-paying, sustainable jobs; 

 Improve the environmental conditions that contribute to the cycle of poverty 

by investing in water and sewer infrastructure, affordable housing, 

community centers, urban green spaces, recreational facilities in parks and 

open spaces, and cultural institutions which serve Buffalo’s residents. 

It is critical that the ARP Spending Plan address the systemic roots of racial 

and economic disparities and address the immediate symptoms of these issues that 

have a direct impact on the safety, health, and livability of Buffalo’s neighborhoods 

in the present. This is why the ARP Spending Plan also includes funding for 

community-based violence intervention and prevention programs, focused economic 

development programs for entrepreneurs of Color, and health programming and 

services in the communities that remain the most-impacted from the pandemic.
2

By employing a holistic and systemic approach, the ARP Spending Plan aims 

to transforms peoples’ lives, create a more inclusive sense of prosperity in every 

neighborhood, and protect the health and safety of Buffalo’s residents. The bold 

plan meets the mandate of the moment and through the concentration and 

coordination of programs and projects will leave a lasting imprint on Buffalo for 

generations to come. 

Uses of Funds

The City of Buffalo’s ARP Spending Plan is a targeted anti-poverty program. 

It aims to provide both immediate direct assistance to low-income residents while 

also making critical investments in projects and services that will improve the 

quality of life for residents in historically underserved neighborhoods. The guiding 

principle behind this proposal is that the way to improve the City’s long-term fiscal 

outlook is to improve its overall economic outlook. The way to improve the economy 

is to help close the individual wealth gap1, invest in underserved neighborhoods so 

they can compete economically2, and make critical investments in City operations 

and service delivery that reduce legacy expenditures.

The City’s ARP Spending Plan accounts for twenty-six targeted investments

across six of the seven eligible expenditure categories (Table 1, Figure 1). There is a 

$1.1 million allowance for flexibility in funding projects to account for potential 

increases in costs over the life of the SLFRF program. The twenty-six projects are 

outlined in detail in the “Project Inventory” section of this Recovery Plan. Not 

reflected in the City’s ARP Spending Plan is the eligible expenditure category of 

Premium Pay. At the outset of the Pandemic, as the City’s revenues began to 

rapidly decline, a deliberate decision was made to utilize short-term borrowing to 

maintain the integrity of the municipal workforce and not furlough or lay-off any 

worker. In addition to keeping the entire workforce employed, critical service 

workers like streets and sanitation workers, police, fire, sewer, and other frontline 

workers received their normal rates of overtime pay when eligible. The City 

1 Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century makes the case that growing economic 

inequality caused by a concentration of wealth and the failure of economic systems to effectively 

redistribute that wealth leads to overall economic stagnation and diminishing social mobility.

2 Heather McGhee’s The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We can Prosper Together

highlights how historic divestment from Black communities dragged down the economic growth of 

surrounding neighborhoods, slowed economic growth for whole cities, and forced many middleincome Black neighborhoods to fall into becoming classified as poor neighborhoods. She used 

research on the economic impacts of segregation in Chicago as the case study for her conclusions, pp 

177-178.
3

continues to negotiate with the unions and have discussions about potentially using

a portion of its revenue replacement funds to examine an additional pay increase.

Table 1. Distribution of Investment in the ARP Spending Plan by Category in Millions of Dollars 

Expenditure Category $ in Millions

Public Health $9.0

Negative Economic Impacts 92.0

Disproportionally Impacted Communities 70.6

Infrastructure 50.0

Revenue Replacement 107.9

Administrative 0.4

Total Amount $329.9

Figure 1. Distribution of Investment in the ARP Spending Plan by Category as a Percentage of the 

Total Allocation

Improving the economy begins with enabling people to become economic 

actors and participants in the market. While for many, this begins with earned 

incomes from employment, too many of Buffalo’s poorest residents are precluded 

from participating in the job market. The familiar reasons given of lack of training, 

evolving employment ecosystems, and low-income residents’ lack of “soft” job skills 

3%

28%

15% 21%

33%

<1%

Public Health

Negative Economic Impacts

Disproportionally Impacted

Comm.

Infrastructure

Revenue Replacement

Administrative
4

fail to suffice as the sole reasons when the jobs data in the City is examined closely. 

Buffalo’s unemployment rate over the last year paints a startling picture3:

Unemployment rates peaked twice in the City of Buffalo, first in April of 2020 

and then again in July of that same year (Figure 2). Since then, the rate has 

decreased steadily but slowly. There are two things that likely account for this 

relatively slow rate of job recovery. First is the contraction in employment 

opportunities in the service sector. That sector of the economy has been the hardest 

hit by the pandemic and was comparatively labor intensive. The second reason, 

however, is that residents who only a year ago were able and willing to work are no 

longer able to do so even though the economy has significantly rebounded. 

Figure 2. Unemployment Rate in the City of Buffalo, January 2020 to May 2021

Why is that people who want to work, and who may have access to 

employment opportunities in a recovering economy, are unable to secure a job? A 

disproportionally high number of the people who had those jobs in the service 

industries and have not been able to find new ones are comprised of Black and 

brown residents (Figure 3). 

3 United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment Rate for municipalities of populations 

greater than 50,000 City of Buffalo

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

2020

Jan

2020

Feb

2020

Mar

2020

Apr

2020

May

2020

Jun

2020

Jul

2020

Aug

2020

Sep

2020

Oct

2020

Nov

2020

Dec

2021

Jan

2021

Feb

2021

Mar

2021

Apr

2021

May
5

Figure 3. Racial Composition of Employment in Service Sector Economy Industries (2019)4

The racial composition of the hardest hit segments of the economy is critical

because it is those same populations that are the most economically marginalized in 

the City of Buffalo. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest 12-month poverty 

estimates, 31.4% and 43% of the City’s Black and Hispanic populations, 

respectively, are classified as poor. Combined, these two segments of the population 

account for over 43,000 of the City’s residents who live below the poverty line. Many 

of these individuals would be classified as “working poor,” often making between 50-

200% of the federal poverty rate5. This is typically enough to provide some form of 

housing and meet other basic needs, however, it is not sufficient to build up any 

amount for savings or make other contingency plans for a downturn in the economy. 

As a result, many of these individuals, who live on the very margins of complete 

economic collapse, are the least able to transition to a new job, new housing, or 

adapt to other changes in economic circumstance. Recent research conducted by the 

Harris School of Public Research at the University of Chicago and the University of 

Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities indicate that the poverty rate 

4 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey: 

Employed persons by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity,” available at 

https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm (last accessed April 2020); U.S. Private Sector Job Quality 

Index,

5 For the sake of perspective, 150% of the federal poverty rate for a family of three in 2021 is only 

$32,940, which is close to the median income for the entire City of Buffalo.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Total

Restaurants and other food services

Employment services

Miscellaneous general merchandise stores

Clothing stores

Gasoline stations

Nail salons and other personal care services

Dry-cleaning and laundry services

Traveler accommodation

Black or African American Asian Hispanic or Latinx Other
6

nationally is rising6 and there is strong evidence to suggest that Buffalo’s 

population is following these same national trends.

At the start of the pandemic, this fact was recognized, and the federal 

government made the distribution of direct aid payments to individuals a high 

priority. All three of the COVID relief bills contained some type of direct payment 

and increased unemployment benefits and they have had a significant positive 

impact on the economy, even in Erie County. According to information compiled by 

researchers Raj Chetty, John N. Friedman, Nathaniel Hendren, Michael Stepner, 

and the Opportunity Insights Team from Harvard and Brown Universities, 

consumer spending has grown over the last year7:

It is important to note that the 12.1% growth reflected in the chart is growth 

from January 2020, two months prior to the declaration of the pandemic. While not 

all of this increase in consumer spending can be attributed to the direct assistance 

payments people received from the COVID relief bills, there are spikes that do 

correspond with the arrival of direct payments to residents.

6 A summary of both institutions’ research was published in an article by Alexandre Tanzi of 

Bloomberg News on April 20, 2021. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-20/u-spoverty-rate-rose-to-pandemic-high-ahead-of-new-stimulus?sref=99G6gQu8

7 An interactive and online version of this chart can be found at: https://tracktherecovery.org/.
7

In addition to alleviating financial stresses on residents during the pandemic, 

direct payments have been demonstrated to help improve the overall social and 

economic mobility of residents. The Stockton Economic Empowerment 

Demonstration (SEED) program provided 125 families with $500 support checks for 

24 months. Their research found that residents in the demonstration program saw a 

12% increase in their employment, versus only a 5% increase in employment in the 

control group, recipients had better physical and mental health outcomes—

especially for women—because the funding alleviated financial anxiety and enabled 

many to seek medical care, and residents that received the funding were often able 

to improve the quality of their jobs by shifting from part-time or gig economy work 

to full time positions with benefits because they had the resources to enroll in 

internships or training programs.8 Buffalo will approximate this model by targeting 

its direct assistance funding to helping individuals who require additional financial 

support through wraparound services and payments while they are enrolled in 

skills enhancement and job training programs with qualified non-profit partners. 

Therefore, the $40.3 million allocated in this plan to provide direct payments to 

households in some capacity has the greatest potential of reducing poverty and 

improving the City’s long-term fiscal and economic outlook. 

In addition to direct payments, there is also a significant investment in this 

proposal for long-term job readiness. Having government provide these types of 

programs to residents during difficult economic times was first done during the 

Great Depression. President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal launched initiatives 

like the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Public Administration. In 

Western New York, these programs employed over 40,000 residents between 1934-

1943 and completed 300 local projects.9

For many of the 40,000 people who received work through the New Deal 

programs, it became a gateway to other, long-term employment. In a 2018 study by 

the New York Federal Reserve, it found that individuals who were employed had a 

better chance of being offered a job, securing a higher-wage, and enjoyed greater 

economic mobility than those who did not already have employment.10 The chart 

8 The full report of the benefits of the SEED program can be found on the program’s website at: 

https://www.stocktondemonstration.org/#summary-of-key-findings.

9 A full list of New Deal projects in the WNY area can be found at livingnewdeal.org. Some examples 

include War Memorial Auditorium, the Dillon Courthouse, the Casino at Cazenovia Park, and 

Futures Academy. 

10 The full scope of the study’s findings are at: 

https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2018/04/do-the-employed-get-better-job-offers.html.
8

below demonstrates how having employment increases the likelihood of being 

offered a new job and how it demonstrates currently employed individuals have a 

greater variety of job choices.

In addition to the direct job creation program outlined in this plan, as well as 

the expanded Mayor’s Youth Employment Initiative and two workforce development 

programs, there is another $59 million worth of infrastructure projects that will 

employ area residents on projects that will have a direct and positive impact on the 

lives of City residents. Just like the New Deal era, this program will use 

infrastructure spending to help revive the economic prospects of thousands of 

residents and reshape the face of our City in a manner that will create benefits for 

future generations.

This spending proposal has the capacity to alleviate poverty for thousands of 

residents, enhance economic mobility, improve the quality of our affordable housing, 

provide community-based food security options, and set the City on a stronger fiscal 

trajectory that will continue after the federal aid comes to an end. By providing 

direct assistance to residents and spurring greater job creation through government 

supported work or targeted infrastructure projects, this proposal will help move 

Buffalo’s economy in a direction that will accelerate our growth, ensure an equitable 

recovery, and directly address the needs of residents who have historically had the 

least support.
9

Funding is being provided in two tranches of approximately $165 million per

year. The proposed breakdown of the annual allocation of funding by program each 

year is as follows ($ in millions):

Program Total Year 1 Year 2

Wraparound Services Assistance $20.0 $10.0 $10.0

Clean Up Corps 9.0 4.5 4.5

Community Food Security 1.5 0.5 1.0

Mayor's Summer Youth 4.35 1.75 2.6

Health Equity Initiative 9.0 4.0 5.0

Northland Scholarship 2.0 1.0 1.0

Skills Based Job-Training 7.0 3.5 3.5

ROLL Expansion 10.0 5.0 5.0

Pay Go Traffic Improvements 4.0 1.5 2.5

Community Center Renovations 20.0 7.0 13

Garbage User Fee Assistance 5.5 5.5 0.0

Cybersecurity 2.2 1.1 1.1

Masten Park/JBW 23.0 4.0 19.0

Park Access Equity 20.0 4.0 16.0

Neal Dobbins Restorative Justice 6.0 3.0 3.0

Frontline Arts Organizations Fund 2.5 1.25 1.25

Cultural Institution Support 8.0 4.0 4.0

Affordable Housing Fund 16.3 8.15 8.15

Healthy Homes Inspections 1.0 0.33 0.67

Fire Department SCBA upgrades 0.53 0.53 0.0

Smart Sewer 40.0 11.0 29.0

Water and Sewer Forgiveness 13.0 13.0 0.0

Minority Owned Business Assistance 3.5 1.0 2.5

BUDC Operating Assistance 1.2 0.6 0.6

Revenue Loss Replacement 100.0 70 30.0

Administrative and Evaluation 0.4 0.2 0.2

Total $329.98 $166.41 $163.57

The below chart shows the allocation of funding by category over the next two 

years:
10

The American Rescue Plan specifically highlighted the ability of 

municipalities which were direct recipients of local assistance to use these funds to 

replace lost revenue. The City of Buffalo has identified the following categories of 

revenues which have been directly impacted by the pandemic. These categories 

represent several different distinct revenue streams that comprise each category. 

The revenue replacement reflects the time period beginning when the public health 

protections first took effect in Buffalo, during March of 2021 and continue into the 

2022-2023 fiscal year when we can anticipate a greater return to normal economic 

behavior. Using funds to replace these revenues is not only allowable under the 

provisions of the law but has been recommended as a best practice. The Brookings 

Institute, in a research note titled, “How Should Local Leaders Use Their American 

Rescue Plan Funding?” their researchers advised that local governments’ first 

priority should be to stabilize their operating budgets and use the ARP funds to 

remedy any pandemic induced deficits and fill any gaps in the current and outyears’ budgets.11

As part of the City’s financial stabilization efforts, it will examine ways to use 

revenue replacement funding to provide its workforce with compensation packages 

that reflect revenue projections the ARP funding will allow until regular economic 

activity resumes and resulting revenues follow a more normal trajectory. Because 

this is a critically important task, the largest percentage of the City’s ARP spending 

plan is dedicated to revenue replacement. The chart below highlights the revenue 

losses which will be replaced with ARP funding ($ in millions):

11 The full research note is available at: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2021/03/23/howshould-local-leaders-use-their-american-rescue-plan-funding/

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Public Health Negative

Economic Impacts

Disproportionally

Impacted Comm

Infrastructure Revenue

Replacement

Administrative

Allocation by Category Year over Year

Year 1 Year 2
11

General Fund Revenue Loss Amount Percentage Fiscal Years

Sales Tax Revenue $33.916 34% 19-20, 20-21, 21-22

Parking Revenue 30.836 31% 19-20, 20-21, 21-22

In Rem Proceeds 6.840 7% 20-21

Other 5.817 6% 19-20, 20-21, 21-22

User Fee 5.500 5% 19-20, 20-21

TVA 4.910 5% 19-20, 20-21, 21-22

Permits & Licenses 3.620 4% 19-20, 20-21, 21-22

Real Estate Taxes 3.375 3% 19-20, 20-21

Interest Income 3.180 3% 19-20, 20-21, 21-22

Special Events/Rents 2.006 2% 19-20, 20-21, 21-22

Total $100.0 100%

Promoting Equitable Outcomes 

As part of the City of Buffalo’s Enacted Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Budget a new 

office was created to monitor and evaluate the City of Buffalo’s ARP spending. This 

office will be staffed by a team reporting to the City’s Director of Administration

and Finance. The federal government requires that the ARP Spending Plan promote 

equitable outcomes and that the City of Buffalo closely monitors these outcomes. It 

will be the responsibility of this new office to monitor both the financial 

expenditures allocated to each spending initiative as well as the plan’s progress in 

addressing the social and economic conditions which have created the inequities 

exacerbated by the pandemic.

Appendix A, Map 1 identifies those neighborhoods which have been the most 

disproportionally impacted in areas of health equity and economic fallout during the 

pandemic. It is not a coincidence that the most severely impacted neighborhoods are 

also communities of color with higher-than-average poverty rates and overlap with 

other maps indicating other interventions which will be funded by Buffalo’s ARP 

allocation to reduce poverty, gun-violence, improve public health outcomes, and help 

residents secure better employment opportunities. 

As stated in the “Social and Economic Analysis” section, this plan is designed 

to directly address poverty. It does this in three distinct ways: 1) by providing direct 

relief to residents in the form of financial payments or debt relief which have few or 

no administrative requirements so long as individuals or households meet income 

requirements and job-training enrollment criteria; 2) providing historically 

underserved residents with jobs or job-training support so they can enjoy greater 
12

social and economic mobility; and 3) improve the environmental conditions that 

contribute to the cycle of poverty that too many residents become trapped in 

through investments in quality affordable housing, lead-free infrastructure, 

community centers, parks, urban green-spaces, and cultural institutions. These 

three strategies to combat poverty are outlined in action steps that correspond to 

evaluation criteria: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.7, 2.10, 2.11, 3.5, 3.9, 3.10, 3.15, and 5.12.

The pandemic has demonstrated how poverty fosters disparities in negative 

public health and safety outcomes for residents living in low-income or segregated 

neighborhoods. Therefore, this plan aims to address not only the systemic roots of 

poverty but its symptoms as well. It will do this by promoting greater access to 

health-care services, rebuilding our public health workforce infrastructure, focusing 

on place-based economic development that help Black and brown residents generate 

wealth and economic activity in their neighborhoods and, funds community-based 

violence prevention and interruption programs. These action steps correspond to 

evaluation criteria: 1.12, 2.9, 3.16, and 5.16.

Additionally, the smart sewer buildout funded by the ARP will focus first in 

those neighborhoods which have been historically underserved and as a result, were 

the most negatively impacted by the pandemic. This concentration of resources, 

investment, direct assistance, and programmatic funding is required if Buffalo is 

going to be able to truly address systemic poverty and transform itself in the decade 

to come. By concentrating the ARP’s stimulus funding in the areas that need it most 

and in programs that have been demonstrated to have a positive impact on the lives 

of residents, Buffalo’s spending plan will take a strategic and evidence-based 

approach to the challenges it faces. It will employ the resources necessary to 

monitor the progress of each program, both in fiscal and performance terms, and be 

prepared to make adjustments as necessary to achieve its goal of reducing poverty, 

eliminating gaps in public health outcomes, closing the racial wealth gap, and 

putting Buffalo on a path of more inclusive and equitable prosperity.

Community Engagement 

The stimulus funding the City of Buffalo will receive through the American 

Rescue Plan is a once in a generation opportunity to address the root causes of 

systemic poverty in the City of Buffalo. Because of the significant size of the 

stimulus package and the extraordinary degree of flexibility in its uses, it was 

deemed critical that a robust process of community engagement take place to 

ensure maximum input from a variety of stakeholders in the formation of Buffalo’s 

spending proposal. 
13

Over the course of the pandemic, City policymakers were in regular contact 

with housing services providers, community advocates, public health advocates, and 

neighborhood leaders to identify immediate needs resulting from the health, 

economic, and social fall-out of the pandemic. These conversations became the basis 

for a series of meetings that went on to help shape many of the proposals that have 

been formulated in this proposal. These organizations and advocates included a 

broad array of community interests which include frontline arts organizations, 

community garden organizers, language access advocates, housing services, and 

public policy researchers. Representatives from the Mayor’s office participated in 

sessions hosted by the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, which 

provided two forums with community leaders, educators, health care specialists, 

housing advocates, banking industry representatives, researchers, and others an 

opportunity to discuss the ARP and how it can positively impact their community.

In addition to this targeted outreach, a dedicated page on the City’s website 

was created so that residents could learn more about the ARP and provide feedback 

through a survey. The survey was structured so that residents could identify what 

priority areas they would like to see stimulus funds invested. Residents who did not 

have access to the internet could also call the City’s 311 line and provide their 

feedback through that service. Mayor Byron Brown held four press conferences 

announcing specific ARP initiatives where he also promoted the survey and links to 

the page were shared on the City’s social media platforms. Approximately 200

residents responded to the survey or through other forms of communication to the 

City.

The City of Buffalo Common Council’s Finance Committee sponsored a 

special public hearing in July. Approximately, fifteen residents, representing a 

broad array of groups including Mayor Brown’s administration, participated and 

shared their ideas with the Common Council. On July 20, 2021, a preliminary draft 

of the City’s ARP spending plan was posted on the website and opened to the public 

for comment. An additional Committee Meeting was also held that month, 

providing another opportunity for Administration officials to brief the members of 

the Council as well as the viewing public on the proposals contained in the City’s 

preliminary draft of the ARP spending plan. By the closing date of the public 

comment, over 230 residents had registered comments regarding the City’s 

preliminary drafts. 
14

Labor Practices 

All contractors and sub-contractors performing work on a City public works project 

are required to pay their workers a prevailing wage on a schedule determined by 

the New York State Department of Labor. The City also has a living wage ordinance 

in place for its own workforce and employees of certain contracted services. In FY 

2021-2022, the living wage in the City of Buffalo is $15.84/hour.

City contractors and sub-contractors are also subject to apprenticeship 

requirements which require workforce training opportunities on construction 

contracts valued above $100,000. In 2021, the City of Buffalo passed an ordinance 

strengthening its apprenticeship requirement to ensure that contractors or subcontractors not complying with the ordinance face consequences.

The City of Buffalo employs the project labor agreements (PLAs) for projects which 

utilize public funds. PLAs have been successfully employed in the construction of 

the Northland Workforce Training Center, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, 

and projects located on Buffalo’s Inner and Outer Harbors. The use of PLAs will be 

considered on any large construction project undertaken with funds from the ARP.

The City of Buffalo Charter and Code also establish Minority and Women 

Workforce, City resident hire, and Minority and Women Owned Business 

Enterprise goals for its public works projects. In addition, through an Executive 

Order promulgated by Mayor Byron Brown, the City imposes a first-source Cityresident employment goal of 30% labor hours on public works projects exceeding 

$250,000. These policies will ensure that City residents, especially those in low to 

moderate income households, have an opportunity to participate in publicly funded 

projects and earn wages that will directly benefit them and their community.

Use of Evidence

Evidenced based interventions will play a critical role in determining the efficacy of 

Buffalo’s SLFRF plan. Each intervention outlined will have its own set of evidencebased set of criteria to determine its effectiveness and ability to demonstrate results. 

In many instances, those will be formalized in a contract or Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU). Providers will be asked to demonstrate in these documents, 

which in many instances will be based on proposals they will be required to submit 

to determine their budget, how they intend to measure their outcomes. Partners will 

also be required to report both quarterly and annually on the progress of their project,

the number of residents served, the outcomes of those interventions, and updates to 

their original proposals if necessary.

In other instances, project effectiveness will be determined in accordance with its 

ability to effectuate changes according to a master planning document. The City of 
15

Buffalo has a Parks Master Plan, which was developed with a special emphasis on 

equity and accessibility. As a result, any use of the City’s funding for parks utilize 

the criteria established in that to determine effectiveness. The Buffalo Sewer 

Authority’s Raincheck 2.0 Plan was designed to determine which sewer and water 

infrastructure projects would have an impact on reducing overflows, sustainably 

managing water, and improving the quality of underserved neighborhoods through 

better infrastructure and passive water management tools. Finally, the City of 

Buffalo’s Affordable Housing Plan will continue to provide a roadmap for the 

continuing development of affordable housing options. The City has already 

invested over $43 million, which has led to the creation of over 2,100 units of 

affordable housing.

As part of its commitment to evaluating the use of the SLFRF funds the City has 

also created a new office in its Department of Administration and Finance that will 

take an evidence-based approach to evaluating project partners and impact of 

resources. To assist City staff with this effort, the MIS Department recently entered 

into a contract with SAS Institute to create a data analytics center. The data 

analytics center will help determine how effective the City’s use of ARPA funds (not 

just SLFRF but other funds the ARPA will make available to Buffalo) is and what 

outcomes can be reported. 

These efforts are connected to the City of Buffalo’s completion of its Bronze Level 

Certification as a “What Works City” from Results for America, a national nonprofit that works with cities across the country to help them utilize evidence-based 

and data-driven decision making. Buffalo is now completing its last steps as part of 

its initial certification and is committed to enhancing the use of data and evidence 

even further. 
16

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category

Category Recovery Plan 

Total 

Allocation ($)

Cumulative 

Expenditures to 

Date ($)

1 Expenditure Category: Public Health $ 9,000,000 $ -

1.1 COVID-19 Vaccination

1.2 COVID-19 Testing

1.3 COVID-19 Contact Tracing

1.4 Prevention in Congregate Settings 

(Nursing Homes, Prisons/Jails, Dense 

Work Sites, Schools, etc.)

1.5 Personal Protective Equipment

1.6 Medical Expenses (including Alternative 

Care Facilities)

1.7 Capital Investments or Physical Plant 

Changes to Public Facilities that 

respond to the COVID-19 public health 

emergency

1.8 Other COVID-19 Public Health 

Expenses (including Communications, 

Enforcement, Isolation/Quarantine)

1.9 Payroll Costs for Public Health, Safety, 

and Other Public Sector Staff 

Responding to COVID-19

1.10 Mental Health Services

1.11 Substance Use Services

1.12 Other Public Health Services 9,000,000 -

2 Expenditure Category: Negative 

Economic Impacts

$ 92,000,000 $ -

2.1 Household Assistance: Food Programs 1,500,000 -

2.2 Household Assistance: Rent, Mortgage, 

and Utility Aid 

18,500,000 -

2.3 Household Assistance: Cash Transfers 20,000,000 -

2.4 Household Assistance: Internet Access 

Programs

2.5 Household Assistance: Eviction 

Prevention
17

Category Recovery Plan 

Total 

Allocation ($)

Cumulative 

Expenditures to 

Date ($)

2.6 Unemployment Benefits or Cash 

Assistance to Unemployed Workers

2.7 Job Training Assistance (e.g., Sectoral 

job-training, Subsidized Employment, 

Employment Supports or Incentives)

18,000,000 -

2.8 Contributions to UI Trust Funds*

2.9 Small Business Economic Assistance 

(General)

3,500,000 -

2.10 Aid to nonprofit organizations 22,500,000 -

2.11 Aid to Tourism, Travel, or Hospitality 8,000,000 -

2.12 Aid to Other Impacted Industries

2.13 Other Economic Support 

2.14 Rehiring Public Sector Staff

3 Expenditure Category: Services to 

Disproportionately Impacted 

Communities

$ 70,650,000 $ -

3.1 Education Assistance: Early Learning 

3.2 Education Assistance: Aid to HighPoverty Districts

3.3 Education Assistance: Academic 

Services 

3.4 Education Assistance: Social, Emotional, 

and Mental Health Services 

3.5 Education Assistance: Other 4,350,000 -

3.6 Healthy Childhood Environments: Child 

Care 

3.7 Healthy Childhood Environments: Home 

Visiting 

3.8 Healthy Childhood Environments: 

Services to Foster Youth or Families 

Involved in Child Welfare System 

3.9. Healthy Childhood Environments: Other 43,000,000 -

3.10 Housing Support: Affordable Housing 16,300,000 -

3.11 Housing Support: Services for Unhoused 

persons 
18

Category Recovery Plan 

Total 

Allocation ($)

Cumulative 

Expenditures to 

Date ($)

3.12 Housing Support: Other Housing 

Assistance 

3.13 Social Determinants of Health: Other 

3.14 Social Determinants of Health: 

Community Health Workers or Benefits 

Navigators 

3.15 Social Determinants of Health: Lead 

Remediation

1,000,000 -

3.16 Social Determinants of Health: 

Community Violence Interventions 

6,000,000 -

4 Expenditure Category: Premium Pay $ - $ -

4.1 Public Sector Employees

4.2 Private Sector: Grants to other 

employers 

5 Expenditure Category: Infrastructure $ 50,000,000 $ -

5.1 Clean Water: Centralized wastewater 

treatment

5.2 Clean Water: Centralized wastewater 

collection and conveyance

40,000,000 -

5.3 Clean Water: Decentralized wastewater

5.4 Clean Water: Combined sewer overflows

5.5 Clean Water: Other sewer infrastructure

5.6 Clean Water: Stormwater

5.7 Clean Water: Energy conservation

5.8 Clean Water: Water conservation

5.9 Clean Water: Nonpoint source 

5.10 Drinking water: Treatment

5.11 Drinking water: Transmission & 

distribution

5.12 Drinking water: Transmission & 

distribution: lead remediation

10,000,000 -

5.13 Drinking water: Source

5.14 Drinking water: Storage 

5.15 Drinking water: Other water 

infrastructure
19

Category Recovery Plan 

Total 

Allocation ($)

Cumulative 

Expenditures to 

Date ($)

5.16 Broadband: “Last Mile” projects

5.17 Broadband: Other projects

6 Expenditure Category: Revenue 

Replacement

$ 107,930,000 $ 40,000,000

6.1 Provision of Government Services

7 Administrative and Other $ 400,000 $ -

7.1 Administrative Expenses 

7.2 Evaluation and data analysis 

7.3 Transfers to Other Units of Government

7.4 Transfers to Nonentitlement Units 

(States and Territories only)

Total of Expenditure Category 

allocations

$ 329,980,00012 $ 40,000,000

12 This is approximately $1.8 million less than the City’s total allocation. This will allow us to adjust 

for possible cost overruns as well make administrative investments to support the hiring of 

additional staff or support for the implementation of these programs.
20

Project Inventory 

ARP2.3-05: Wraparound Services Support for Job Training Program Enrollees

Funding Amount: $20.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: 2.3, Household Assistance: Cash Transfers

$20 million will be available to non-profits providing Buffalo residents job training 

in high-demand areas like the medical fields, technology, information sciences, and 

advanced manufacturing. These funds will provide enrollees in these programs with 

wraparound funds they may use to defray the costs of things like childcare, 

transportation, clothing, medical costs, or other financial burdens that often force 

residents to end their training before it is complete. Wraparound service dollars are 

meant to be flexible forms of aid designed to ensure higher retention and program 

completion rates. Programs similar to this are being tried in other cities across the 

nation with high rates of success of promoting employment, enabling recipients 

greater financial choice, and fostering stronger economies in low-income 

neighborhoods by helping close the wealth gap.

ARP2.7-09: Creation of a Neighborhood Improvement Corps

Funding Amount: $9.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: 2.7, Job Training Assistance

A two-year program that will provide jobs for individuals who will advance the 

City’s neighborhood improvement efforts (similar to what the Mayor’s Impact Team 

does), parks improvement projects, and other community service efforts in the City. 

This Corps will be comprised of 50 members and 5 supervisors. Hiring preference 

will be for low-income residents who live in neighborhoods of color. In addition to 

providing these services, Corps members will also be able to enroll in academic and 

enrichment programs. It will cost approximately $4.5 million a year for two years. 

As the data from the Federal Reserve indicated, it is easier for people to find work if 

they are already employed. This subsidized work project can therefore act as a 

vehicle for better employment opportunities while simultaneously improving 

Buffalo’s public spaces.

ARP2.1-02: Community Food Security

Funding Amount: $1.5 million

Project Expenditure Category: 2.1, Household Assistance: Food Programs

The pandemic has exposed significant gaps in the food security network. A one-time 

allocation of $1.5 million will be made to support the creation of the nation’s first 

community garden land trust and support nutritional food preparation 

programming, food delivery, and wellness education. Up to $500,000 can be used to 

purchase existing community gardens that have a track record of consistent 

maintenance. The remaining $1 million of funding can be used to support the 

programmatic elements of the proposal, including electric vehicle purchases for nonprofits organizations and community centers that make deliveries to food insecure 
21

older residents, cooking classes for low-income residents, and nutritional 

programming to address the food security needs of specific constituencies.

ARP3.5-14: Mayor’s Youth Employment Expansion

Funding Amount: $4.35 million

Project Expenditure Category: 3.5, Education Assistance: Other

This three-year initiative will phase in a gradual increase of the program’s 

participants. The first year’s increase would be by 25% ($550,000), the second year 

by 50% ($1.2 million) and the third year a 100% increase ($2.6 million). This will 

increase participation in a way that is gradual and sustainable as more 

employers/placements are found and the number of openings is able to keep pace 

with the number of young people interested in applying. In addition to the 

traditional summer employment opportunities, young people will also be able to 

enroll in summer school or other academic enrichment programs during their 

summer breaks and be compensated. This effort will also leverage the City’s 

commitment to expand the program into a year-round effort. The challenges 

distance learning posed to students will require some, who would have been able to 

use their summers for valuable employment experiences, to instead take classes for 

academic credit. They should not be penalized, economically, while they attempt to 

make up class work that was missed due to COVID imposed restrictions.

ARP1.12-.01: Public Health Equity Clinic Initiative

Funding Amount: $9.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: 1.12, Other Public Health Services

$9 million will provide funding to establish a community health clinic on Buffalo’s 

East Side, affordable quality housing, and health educational outreach and 

programming. Appendix A, Map 1 shows that some of the highest concentrations of 

negative health and economic outcomes were on Buffalo’s East Side. This area still 

has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the county. The clinic will focus on 

providing residents in some of Buffalo’s poorest communities with accessible 

healthcare, wellness programming, and education. The COVID-19 pandemic 

demonstrated the deadly impacts of healthcare disparities in Black and brown 

communities across our City, state, and nation. Embedding a healthcare facility 

within the community that has historically lacked access to healthcare or 

demonstrated healthcare hesitancy will help overcome these public health 

challenges going forward.

ARP2.7-07: Northland Workforce Training Center Scholarship

Funding Amount: $2.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: 2.7, Job Training Assistance

$2 million is allocated to provide financial support to residents of color and female 

students (who are typically under-represented in the advanced manufacturing field) 

who wish to enroll in programs offered by the Northland Workforce Training Center 

(NWTC). Costs associated, either directly or indirectly, with transportation, 
22

learning supplies, childcare or other related expenses (specific clothing, remedial 

training, etc.) can become a barrier to accessing the workforce development 

programs low-income residents need to advance their careers and develop new 

skills. This fund will cover those relatively small, but sometimes prohibitive, costs 

that can cause residents to opt out of the program. The fund will be directly 

managed by the NWTC and it could also independently raise additional 

philanthropic resources once this initial allocation is expended.

ARP2.7-08: Skills Based Job Readiness Program

Funding Amount: $7.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: 2.7, Job Training Assistance

$7 million will be allocated to a qualified non-profit partner to establish a skillsbased job readiness program that matches low to moderate income residents with 

specific employers and provides those residents with the training and skills 

necessary to secure not only a job but a career path they can use to leverage higher 

wages and greater socio-economic mobility. By identifying willing employers at the 

outset of the workforce development process this program aims to overcome the 

gaps which have been identified in the traditional workforce development model. 

Funds will also be set aside to rebuild the City’s public health human 

infrastructure. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of medical professions 

across a wide array of fields and creating a healthcare workers talent pipeline 

capable of assuming these professions will not only make Buffalo more resilient, it 

will also create greater wealth opportunities for Black and brown individuals. 

Finally, funding will be provided to help residents returning from periods of 

incarceration secure critical “soft” job skills while rebuilding their work history 

through participation in City service projects.

ARP5.12-21: Replacing Old Lead Lines (ROLL) Expansion

Funding Amount: $10.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: 5.12, Drinking Water: Transmission & Distribution: 

Lead Remediation

A 2-year allocation of $10 million is allocated for an expansion of the City’s ROLL 

program so that at least an additional one thousand (1,000) homes can have their 

lead water service lines replaced. Replacing lead water service lines improves the 

quality of the City’s housing and leads to better health outcomes for children. The 

City has already successfully replaced the lines in 500 homes and this expanded 

capacity will more than double its impact. This program will complement the City’s 

existing federal funded lead mitigation program, as well as its proactive rental 

inspection program and home improvement revolving loan fund. (See Appendix A 

Map 4)

ARP6.1-25: Road Maintenance Fund

Funding Amount: $4.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: 6.1, Provision of Government Services
23

$4 million will be allocated to pay for minor road repair improvement, installation 

of scheduled speed humps, crosswalk markings, and maintenance that was delayed 

as a result of the pandemic and reductions in infrastructure funds caused by 

reductions in city revenues and other interruptions in sources of finding typically 

used for these types of non-bondable projects. These projects will be prioritized by 

their proximity to residential neighborhoods, schools, and other public 

infrastructure that results in higher than usual pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

ARP2.10-11: Community Center Renovation Program

Funding Amount: $20.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 2.10, Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$20 million will be allocated for community centers renovations in the City of 

Buffalo. These renovations may include enhancements of the centers’ high speed 

broadband connectivity, audio-visual equipment designed to enhance virtual 

learning environments, expanded computer labs, new HVAC systems that will 

make them COVID compliant, and energy efficiency projects that will lower utility 

costs and reduce the centers’ carbon footprints.

ARP2.2-05: Garbage User-Fee Assistance Program

Funding Amount: $5.5 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 2.2, Household Assistance: Rent, Mortgage, and 

Utility Aid

A $5.5 million assistance program will be established to provide low-income 

residents with assistance in clearing any outstanding bills related to their City 

user-fee. Delinquent user-fees become tax liens applied to a resident’s home and if 

not paid can ultimately result in foreclosure. The City often provides residents with 

a payment plan which can offer some relief but too many residents are unable to 

keep up with the terms of those plans and fall back into the possibility of losing 

their homes. This fund will eliminate those past-due balances for eligible residents.

ARP6.1-24: Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures

Funding Amount: $2.2 million

Project Expenditure Category: 6.1, Provision of Government Services

$2.2 million will be used to enhance cybersecurity measures and make our digital 

infrastructure more resilient against potential ransomware attacks which can have 

a detrimental impact on the delivery of critical city services and maintaining the 

integrity of residents’ private data.

ARP3.9-16: Masten Park/Johnny B. Wiley Reconstruction Project

Funding Amount: $23.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 3.9, Healthy Childhood Environments: Other

$23 million will be allocated for Part of City/BPS master plan for construction of 

athletic field, splash pad, outdoor pool, playgrounds, landscaping, shelter building, 

multi-use pathways, site lighting, access drive and parking lot, demolition of 
24

existing building, and construction of new building within indoor sports court, 

restroom, locker room, concessions, and general space. This project, located in one of 

the poorest communities in Buffalo, will not only provide a state-of-the-art athletic 

area for students and neighborhood children, it will also create an indoor 

community space that can provide valuable programming to residents facing 

higher-risks of violence, digital access gaps, and educational support services.

ARP3.9-15: Park Access Equity Fund

Funding Amount: $20.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 3.9, Healthy Childhood Environments: Other

$20 million will be allocated to improving the quality of City parks through the 

purchase of new playground equipment and other capital improvements. Safe and 

accessible parks have been a critical component of the City’s response to the 

pandemic because they offered residents a public space where they could safely go 

for maintenance of their physical and mental well-being. At least 8 City parks in 

neighborhoods throughout the City will receive improvements worth approximately 

$500,000 to $1 million each. Additionally, $8.5 million will be set aside for the 

construction of an indoor sports facility at Shoshone Park. The need for such a 

facility has been highlighted by various entities and this allocation will accelerate 

this project.

ARP3.16-19: Neal Dobbins Restorative Justice and Public Safety Fund

Funding Amount: $6.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 3.16, Social Determinants of Health: Community 

Violence Interventions

Gun violence is rapidly becoming a national crisis which Buffalo’s streets are not 

immune from. Appendix A, Map 2 shows both the number of shootings and their 

concentration in neighborhoods which have been the most impacted by the 

pandemic. $6 million will be allocated for technology and community based antiviolence programming that will improve neighborhood safety and encourage 

resident-driven crime prevention programs through targeted interventions and 

mentoring service. Fostering safe neighborhoods requires cities to provide Police 

Officers with the tools and training they need to perform their jobs both safely and 

in a manner consistent with community sensitivities. This fund will be used to pilot 

a LEAD program in the City of Buffalo, use video and license plate reading 

technology that will reduce potentially dangerous police and resident interactions, 

and provide additional funding to programs like Peacemakers or other communitybased crime prevention groups.

ARP2.10-12: Frontline Arts Organization Sustainability Fund

Funding Amount: $2.5 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 2.10, Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$2.5 million will be used to create a frontline arts organization sustainability fund 

administered by the Western New York Foundation. Frontline arts organizations 
25

were some of the most severely impacted groups by the pandemic in the City of 

Buffalo. Many of the programs these frontline arts organizations administer provide 

critically needed safe spaces for young members of the LGBTQ community. Without 

these critically needed safe spaces, a growing number became targets of violence, 

risked becoming home insecure, or faced increased mental or emotional distress. 

Due to school closures and other public health safety measures, frontline arts 

groups were forced to reduce programming and lost opportunities to access their 

usual revenue streams. This fund will provide these entities with funding so they 

can re-establish programs and move towards greater self-sustainability.

ARP2.11-13: Cultural Institution Support Program

Funding Amount: $8.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 2.11, Aid to Tourism, Travel, or Hospitality

$8 million will be allocated to support capital projects at the cultural institutions 

that make Buffalo home to a thriving arts, museum, and cultural enrichment 

community. Major institutions like the Buffalo Zoo, the Albright Knox Art Gallery, 

Shea’s Buffalo, The Buffalo History Museum, Kleinhan’s Music Hall, the Buffalo 

Science Museum, the Italian Cultural Center, the Alleyway Theater, the Broadway 

Market, the Theater of Youth, the African American Heritage Corridor 

including 509 Michigan Avenue as well as the proposed Hispanic Heritage Center 

and the African American Cultural Center have all been negatively impacted by the 

pandemic. Supporting these institutions will help revive Buffalo’s economy and 

ensure that the secondary employers supported by these larger institutions. The 

Interim Final Rule and legislation specifically identify these types of institutions as 

needing support in the recovery from the pandemic.

ARP3.10-17: Affordable Housing Advancement Fund

Funding Amount: $16.3 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 3.10, Housing Support: Affordable Housing

$16.3 million administered by the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency will be allocated 

for affordable housing including a housing trust fund which will leverage the City’s 

$12 million HOME funds and other private sources for the creation of new, 

affordable permanent housing for low-moderate income families and persons with 

disabilities, improvements to existing housing as well as transitional housing units 

for displaced residents and their families. Up to $2 million will be available to help 

renters, including residents of BMHA facilities, who have been directly or indirectly 

impacted by the pandemic and therefore struggled with rent payments.

ARP3.15-18: Healthy Homes Inspections Program

Funding Amount: $1.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 3.15, Social Determinants of Health: Lead 

Remediation

$1 million will be allocated to support City inspections of housing to prevent lead 

poisoning and other environmentally rooted causes of health disparities for three 
26

years until the program becomes self-sustaining as a result of fines and fees the 

inspections will generate. This program will support two City healthy homes 

inspectors as well as a coordinator who will work with community-based 

organizations to provide educational outreach and materials. These inspections will 

initially focus their efforts in the five census tracks comprising the City’s HUD Lead 

Remediation Grant target communities (Appendix A, Map 3) and then gradually 

expand their efforts to those neighborhoods which have the highest rates of lead 

poisoning.

ARP5.2-20: Smart Sewer and Water Infrastructure Buildout

Funding Amount: $40.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 5.2, Clean Water: Centralized Wastewater 

Collection and Conveyance

$40 million will be allocated to improve the efficiency, quality, and service of our 

water and sewer systems throughout the City of Buffalo. These funds will be 

utilized to include smart sewer and water infrastructure as part of the City’s 

ongoing transportation infrastructure plan. Priority will be given to projects located 

in neighborhoods where there was a disproportionally negative impact due to the 

pandemic. This will ensure a higher rate of return on these projects because we will 

be able to update the water, sewer, and surface infrastructure at the same time.

ARP2.2-.03: Water and Sewer Debt Forgiveness Program

Funding Amount: $13.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 2.2, Household Assistance: Rent, Mortgage, and 

Utility Aid

$13 million will be allocated to address affordability and household burden concerns 

including the forgiveness of household water and sewer. This will reduce the debt 

burden of approximately 33,000 low-income residents, a disproportionally high 

number of whom are Black or brown residents. This will provide a pathway for 

more residents to enroll in the water affordability programs. Residents will not have 

to apply to this program, it will automatically show up on their bills and then they 

will be contacted about their eligibility for other affordability or assistance 

programs.

ARP2.9-10: Minority Owned Businesses Assistance Fund

Funding Amount: $3.5 million

Project Expenditure Category: EC 2.9, Small Business Economic Assistance

$3.5 million will be allocated over three-years to provide flexible funding support for 

minority owned businesses. This assistance may come in the form of financial 

support for coaching, mentoring, physical improvement grants, low-interest 

business improvement loans, and start-up company support. This program will be 

overseen by the Beverly Gray Business Exchange Center and is designed to increase 

place-based economic development in communities of color which will make the 

minority small business community more resilient, act as engine of wealth in low-
27

income neighborhoods, provide a foundation for stronger job-growth amongst 

residents of color, and make surrounding residential neighborhoods more vibrant.

ARP6.1-26: Buffalo Urban Development Corporation

Funding Amount: $1.2 million

Project Expenditure Category: 6.1, Provision of Government Services

$1.2 million will be allocated for Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC). 

Over the course of the pandemic, BUDC provided small business assistance to 

private entities impacted by the public health safety measures intended to slow the 

spread of COVID-19. It also continued to provide critical economic development 

planning work necessary to ensure a speedy recovery for people once people got 

vaccinated and the economy began to resume its upwards growth trend. This 

funding will cover the operational costs BUDC incurred as a result of this work and 

help maintain this higher level of service during the course of our recovery period.

ARP6.1-23: Buffalo Fire Department SCBA Upgrades

Funding Amount: $530,000

Project Expenditure Category: 6.1, Provision of Government Services

$530,000 will be used to upgrade the Buffalo Fire Department’s Self-Contained 

Breathing Apparatuses. These pieces of equipment are critical to the Department’s 

ability to carry out their life-saving mission and are vital to keeping personnel safe.

ARP7.1-27: Administrative and Evaluation Costs

Funding Amount: $400,000

Project Expenditure Category: 7.1, Administrative Expenses

To ensure the stimulus funds are used in accordance with all applicable state and 

federal guidelines, as well as to measure the impact specific programs are having on 

the state of our economic recovery, a portion has been allocated for the hiring and 

training of staff for a new office within the Department of Administration, Finance, 

Policy and Urban Affairs and as Deputy Director of Planning in the Office of 

Strategic Planning. These staff will monitor the financial and programmatic reports 

of ARP sub-recipients, research best practices to improve outcomes, and evaluate 

the effectiveness of the outlined proposals.

ARP6.1-22: Revenue Loss Replacement

Funding Amount: $100.0 million

Project Expenditure Category: 6.1, Provision of Government Services

$100 million will be used to replace revenues lost either directly or indirectly due to 

the pandemic.

Total Estimated Cost: $329.98 million13

13 This is approximately $1.8 million less than the City’s total allocation. This will allow us to adjust 

for possible cost overruns as well make administrative investments to support the hiring of 

additional staff or support for the implementation of these programs.
28

Appendix A: Maps

MAP 1
29

MAP 2
30

MAP 3
31

MAP 4
32

Appendix B: Buffalo Transformation Fund Survey

The City of Buffalo conducted a survey asking residents to share their ideas on how 

the SLFRF should be invested. Please see the link for the survey questions and the 

responses the City received: http://www.buffalony.gov/ARPsurveyresponses.
33

Appendix C: American Rescue Plan Preliminary Draft Comments

The City of Buffalo posted a draft version of its spending proposal on the City 

website for public review and comment. Please see the link for a compilation of the 

public comments that were received: http://www.buffalony.gov/ARPpubliccomments. 
34

Appendix D: Common Council Approval of Mayor’s Proposed Spending 

Plan

One August 26, 2021, the City of Buffalo Common Council held a Special Meeting

where they unanimously approved the Mayor’s “American Rescue Plan Act 

Spending Proposal” and corresponding “Joint Resolution of the City of Buffalo 

Common Council and the Office of the Mayor of the City of Buffalo in Relation to 

the Expenditure of Capital Investments and Federally Supported Programmatic 

Funding.” The meeting agenda and associated documents are available on the 

Common Council’s website at: 

http://buffalony.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=2309.