Buffalo council cuts proposed tax levy hike to 19% in final budget
Buffalo NY – The Common Council approved a 2026-27 budget with a 19% property tax levy increase, down from the mayor’s 25% proposal, before July 1.
Buffalo’s Common Council approved a 2026-27 city budget that lowers Mayor Sean Ryan’s original property-tax levy proposal from 25% to 19%. The new fiscal year starts July 1, so the change will soon show up in the city’s property-tax bills.
The levy is the amount the city raises through property taxes, not the same thing as any one homeowner’s bill. What a resident pays still depends on assessment, exemptions and credits, so the citywide increase will not affect every household equally.
What changed
The mayor’s budget proposal was built around closing a reported $109 million structural gap and funding core services. The city said the plan would support work such as pothole repair, snow removal, plow purchases, driver and mechanic hiring, and streetlight repairs.
WKBW reported that the final council action reduced the levy increase from the original proposal and included a homeowner example showing a smaller monthly increase than the mayor first proposed. That example is useful for scale, but it is not a universal bill estimate.
Why city leaders say they did it
Buffalo has framed the budget fight as a structural problem, not a one-year accounting fix. In its budget release, the city said the plan was meant to address a large structural deficit and restore fiscal stability while keeping basic services moving.
The New York State Comptroller’s May 8 review said Buffalo faced a projected general fund deficit of about $103 million in fiscal 2026-27 and noted that the mayor’s proposed budget included a 25% increase in real property tax revenue. The review was independent fiscal context, not the final budget action.
What homeowners should do now
Residents should use the city’s property-tax calculator and exemption resources before assuming their bill will move in lockstep with the 19% levy figure. Buffalo says its assessment and taxation department offers calculator tools and information on STAR, senior, disability and veterans exemptions that can reduce a bill in some cases.
For homeowners, the key question is not just whether the levy went up, but how assessment and exemptions interact with that increase. That matters especially for older residents, longtime homeowners and anyone already using a tax relief program.
What to watch next
The budget takes effect July 1, so the next practical issue is implementation: whether the city follows through on the service and staffing changes tied to the final compromise, and how the higher levy shows up in individual tax bills later in the year.
