BUFFALO
City urged to take on more debt to improve parks
Buffalo’s parks are in urgent need of renovations, and some Common Council members contend the city should raise its debt ceiling to finance the work.
But City Comptroller Andrew A. SanFilippo and Mayor Byron W. Brown have yet to endorse a plan that would involve earmarking $5 million in the city’s capital budget for parks improvements.
South Council Member Michael P. Kearns is championing an issue that has been endorsed by six of Buffalo’s nine lawmakers.
“Providing this funding at this time will allow us to expedite our most desperately needed park projects, such as renovations to the Cazenovia Park Casino and the wading pool in Martin Luther King Jr. Park,” Kearns said.
He said the special funding request would be tied to the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy raising $5 million in outside funds for parks projects. Kearns noted that the Conservancy, which operates most of Buffalo’s largest parks under a contract with Erie County, has expressed a desire to work with the city on the parks’ capital needs.
A spokesman for SanFilippo, who sets the city’s debt ceiling, said Tuesday any steps to increase Buffalo’s long-term debt must be approached with caution.
“The strong debt management policy the city has in place has been a major factor in the city’s fiscal recovery,” Tony Farina said. “Any change will not be done lightly.”
Some city officials have been quietly mulling other strategies to finance major park improvements — options that would not involve incurring more debt.
Brown said Kearns should have raised the issue before the city’s new capital budget took effect in January. The mayor noted that before he releases recommendations for capital projects, a citizens advisory panel reviews all requests and submits recommendations.
“They would have to weigh this proposal with the many pressing needs that exist in the City of Buffalo,” said Brown, referring to the citizens panel.
Brown added that his administration has already committed substantial funds to plant new trees in parks and on streets throughout the city.
