Skip Navigation

  1. City Departments
  2. City Services
  3. Our City
    1. Accommodations
    2. Architecture
    3. Arts and Culture
    4. All America City
    5. Buffalo My City
    6. Buffalo Niagara Convention Center
    7. Visit Buffalo Niagara
    8. Buffalo Sports & Outdoor Recreation
    9. Education
    10. Buffalo Ambassadors
    11. 1 more items...
  4. Online Payments
  5. My Profile
    1. New User Registration
    2. Existing User Login
    3. Schedule Payment Instructions

Home > Leadership > Mayor > Archive Press Releases > 2007 Archives > July 2007 > Mayor Brown Hails Federal Delegation's Efforts to Support Funding

Mayor Brown Hails Federal Delegation's Efforts to Support Funding for Buffalo Projects

Source/Contact
Office of the Mayor
Peter K. Cutler
Director of Communications
716-851-4841

House and Senate FY08 Appropriations Bills Approved for the City of Buffalo

BUFFALO – Mayor Byron W. Brown today praised the members of the City of Buffalo’s Federal Legislative Delegation for securing critically important federal funding for several City initiatives that was approved by the Senate and House Appropriations Committees.

“In March, my staff and I met with the members of our Federal Legislative Delegation in Washington to outline the key federal funding priorities for our Administration,” said Mayor Brown. “The actions of both the Senate and House Appropriations Committees have earmarked important funding for programs in Buffalo that will contribute to our ongoing efforts to improve the city’s overall economy and quality of life.  This is a positive indication that our message of Buffalo’s continuing revitalization is being heard in our nation’s capital.”

Below is a complete list of the earmarks that are currently included in the House and Senate FY08 Appropriations bills for the City of Buffalo:
 
Senate
· $600,000 for law enforcement technology in the Commerce/Justice/Science Appropriations bill (requested by Senators Clinton and Schumer)
· $200,000 for the Urban Arts Center construction in the Transportation/HUD Appropriations bill (requested by Senators Clinton and Schumer)
· $500,000 for the Micro and Small Business Loan Program in the Financial Services Appropriations bill (requested by Senators Clinton and Schumer)
House
· $700,000 for law enforcement technology in the Commerce/Justice/Science Appropriations bill (this is a total of two different earmarks -- a $500,000 earmark requested by Rep. Slaughter and a $200,000 earmark requested by Reps. Slaughter and Higgins)
· $1.6 million for Fruit Belt Redevelopment in the Transportation/HUD Appropriations bill (requested by Rep. Slaughter)
· $100,000 for a Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention Program (requested by Rep. Higgins)

Following is a brief summary of each Buffalo project/program funded in the House and Senate Appropriations bills:
 
Law Enforcement Technology/Cameras: Funds were requested to help the Buffalo Police Department purchase and install a camera system at hot points in the City to help deter violent crime, identify offenders, and provide enhanced homeland security along the border.
 
Urban Arts Center: Funds were requested to help with the development of the Buffalo Urban Arts Center, to be located in the historic Michigan Avenue Cultural Corridor.  The Arts Center will house important cultural and artistic organizations in the City, including the African American Cultural Center, the Langston Hughes Institute, Ujima Theater Company, Buffalo Inner City Ballet, and Love Supreme School of Music. 
 
Fruit Belt Redevelopment: Funds were requested for highway and street scape infrastructure improvements in the Fruit Belt area to spur additional development in this neighborhood and link this community to the employment opportunities and other development in the Buffalo Niagara Medical Corridor.  This project is part of a larger revitalization plan expected to catalyze approximately $30 million in new public and private sector development. 
 
Micro and Small Business Loan Program: Funds were requested to help further capitalize and expand the Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corporation’s (BERC) Micro and Small Business Loan Program in Buffalo, which provides start-up and expansion loans to local entrepreneurs.  By providing capital targeted to businesses that have difficulty accessing support through more traditional sources, this program is a key component of the City’s economic revitalization agenda.
 
Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention Program: To address increasing youth violence rates in Buffalo, funds were requested to implement a violence reduction program, The Pathways Initiative, targeting youth between the ages of 11–18 who reside in or attend school in high-crime, high-poverty areas of the City.  This program will work through a collaborative community network to provide youth with non-violent solutions for conflict, with a focus on prevention, intervention, and case management.

“On behalf of the residents of Buffalo, I thank the members of our Federal Delegation for their successful effort in supporting our federal agenda priorities,” said Mayor Brown. “Now that these project funds have been approved through a critical stage in the legislative process, and while the amounts still will be subject to final agreements on bills between the full House and Senate, and signature by the President, I am confident that significant funding for these projects will be retained and delivered to the City of Buffalo.”

Patton Boggs LLP, a firm that maintains the most significant federal advocacy practice for municipal governments and public agencies, represents the City of Buffalo in Washington, D.C.