Buffalo City Affair: What the Politicians are doing with your hard-earned taxes

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Posted by Buffalo Latino Village Office: (716) 851-4912 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThe City of Buffalo Department of Audit and Control Releases FY 2024-2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) Buffalo, NY — The City of Buffalo Department of Audit and Control released their Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), outlining the City’s year-end financial results from Fiscal Year (FY) July 2024 – June 2025. On October 31, 2025, the City of Buffalo’s independent auditors, Drescher & Malecki LLP, Certified Public Accountants, issued an unmodified or clean opinion on the City’s financial statements for the FY ending June 30, 2025. As previously mentioned, preliminary audit findings indicated that revenues underperformed and expenditures exceeded projections in several key areas. The detailed analysis provided in the ACFR confirms these preliminary findings. The City’s FY 2024–2025 ended with an operational deficit of approximately $14,768,426, therefore, reducing the Total Fund Balance from $117,796,706 to $103,028,280. The Administration and Members of the Buffalo Common Council approved the use of Committed Fund Balance (Rainy-Day Fund) to close out the remaining operational variance of $6,862,734. Both the Assigned and Unassigned Fund Balances were fully depleted, as a result, the City has no available Fund Balance to cover prior year encumbrances and judgement and claims. Based on our financial analysis, excluding one-time revenues, such as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of $39,509,071, the true Operational Deficit for FY 2024-2025 is $54,277,497. This deficit is primarily due to increased public safety costs, unbudgeted legal settlements and health insurance costs. In addition, budgeted revenues did not meet expectations with occupancy tax, charges for services, licenses & permits and fines. “As City of Buffalo Comptroller, I remain committed to protecting our City’s finances,” stated Comptroller Miller Williams. “The Annual ACFR provides transparency to the citizen and taxpayers and ensures that the Administration and Members of the Buffalo Common Council are informed of the City’s current financial state. This ACFR report is crucial for identifying prior year budget to actual revenues, expenses, and fiscal year end fund balances. With an Operational Deficit of $54,277,497, the Administration and Members of the Buffalo Common Council can no longer ignore the damage perpetuated by inaction. I encourage the citizens and taxpayers of the City of Buffalo to visit the Comptrollers Website and read the ACFR for detailed information on the current state of City finances.” The Department of Audit and Control will continue to monitor the City’s financial performance and provide regular updates to the Administration, the Buffalo Common Council, the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority, and the citizens and taxpayers. ### Makenna LederhousePublic Information Officer to the Comptroller65 Niagara Square, Room 1225Buffalo, NY 14202mlederhouse@buffalony.gov      

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OUR FIRST LANGUAGE

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BEFORE words were ever written, humanity had already learned how to communicate. Long before books or alphabets, messages traveled through lines, shapes, and colors. Art was our first language, a way to express what was felt, feared, or dreamed. It was, and still is, the voice of the people.  In Puerto Rico, this visual story began with our Taíno ancestors, who carved their presence into the stones, caves, and rivers of the island. The Taíno petroglyphs, etched with precision and purpose, are evidence of a civilization that understood the deep connection between art, nature, and spirituality. Each spiral, human or animal figure, and mask-like face holds a message. They speak of water, the sun, the gods, the cycle of life, and the sacred relationship between human beings and the earth.  These carvings were not mere decorations; they were visual prayers, records of knowledge, and bridges of communication between generations. Through them, the Taínos shared stories, wamings, and gratitude. Their art was purposeful, alive with meaning, history, and spirit.  Over time, this symbolic language did not disappear, it evolved. It moved from stone to clay, from clay to wood, and eventually into the hands of Puerto Rican artisans who, to this day, continue to speak that same ancient language through their craft. Every carved saint, every colorful vejigante mask, every piece of handmade jewelry or pottery carries the echo of those first messages inscribed in stone.  Through artisanal craft, we continue to communicate our shared history. The vibrant colors, natural textures, and recurring symbols like spirals, suns and human figures are part of an ancestral language that still lives within us. When an artisan creates, they are in conversation with those who came before. transforming ancient signs into new expressions that speak to the present.  As an artist, I feel that every creation is a silent dialogue with my roots. In each piece I craft, there is a conversation between past and present, between the earth and the hands that shape it. Art does not merely decorate it communicates, teaches, and heals. It is the most ancient and a profoundly way to remember who we are.  Today, in a world full of technology and fast words, art remains our deepest language. It connects us beyond borders, beyond generations. In every brushstroke, in every carving, in every drumbeat or dancer’s movement, we continue to speak that first language inherited from our ancestors the language ofart.  Because art needs no translation. It only asks to be seen, felt, and heard by the soul. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Column Community Community News Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Media Military & Veterans Music Peace People Photography Politics Sports Technology OUR FIRST LANGUAGE November 27, 2025/ BEFORE words were ever written, humanity had already learned how to communicate. Long before books or alphabets, messages traveled through… Read More KEEPING PUERTO RICANCULTURE ALIVE IN THEDIASPORA August 7, 2025/ ART WITH SOUL:CRAFTSMANSHIP THAT DEFINES USBy Dianiz Roman Rodriguez Being Puerto Rican in the diaspora does not mean being disconnected… Read More

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