Common Council Items of Interest

For those of you who can't make it to the weekly Common Council meeting, following

is the briefing. From this week's meeting as provided by the council:

The Council adopted a resolution sponsored by Ellicott District Council Member

Darius G. Pridgen requesting of the City of Buffalo's Departments of Law, Police,

and Permits & Inspections work collaboratively with the Common Council to create a

Reference, in a "Frequently Asked Questions" ("FAQ") format, which the public,

Council Members, and potentially all elected and appointed officials, could consult

concerning appointments to City Boards, Commissions, Committees and Task Forces.

Elected and appointed officials, citizens, and candidates interested in serving on

City Boards, Commissions, Committees and Task Forces frequently question what

qualifications, if any, are required for appointment to such positions. Although

some City Boards, Commissions, Committees and Task Forces do have clear and well-

established qualification requirements and appointment procedures codified in

Federal or State law, the City Charter & Code, or as part of a previously adopted or

approved Common Council Resolution, the existence of such guidance is frequently not

generally known nor easily obtained for those that are untrained. In some instances,

the elected or appointed officials charged with appointing individuals are under

significant pressure to make appointments in a timely manner, however there may be

little if any guidance relating to the potential candidate's qualifications. The

Council maintains that the FAQ Reference for appointment to City Boards,

Commissions, Committees and Task Forces would ensure that prospective appointees are

qualified, prepared, and willing to take on the responsibilities associated with

serving on the respective bodies.

The Council adopted a resolution sponsored by Fillmore District Council Member David

A. Franczyk giving permission to the Despensata Corporation to hang approximately 85

banners on light poles along Broadway, Fillmore Avenue, Peckham and Paderewski

Streets, as well as the side streets surrounding the perimeter of the Broadway

Market and Corpus Christi Church on Gibson, Lombard, Clark and Sears Streets. The

banners will promote and celebrate the Easter shopping season and Dyngus Day

activities in the neighborhood and will be hung on April 11, 2011.

The Council approved a Capital Budget Amendment that designated $450,000 to

Infrastructure Improvements in the South Common Council District. The funds were

initially designated for the Nevilly Court Field Turf Project and will now be used

to repave and improve the infrastructure on Marilla Street, Zollars Avenue, Ashton

Place, and South Park Ring Road.

The Council approved a resolution sponsored by South District Council Member Michael

P. Kearns requesting of the City of Buffalo Planning Board, that they work closely

with the Department of Management Information Systems ("MIS") to identify properties

that have received a landmark, landmark site or historic district designation, and

to catalog them in a centralized location on the City's website. The Council is also

requesting of the City of Buffalo Department of Assessment and Taxation that they

also work closely with the City Preservation Board and MIS to have any landmark,

landmark site or historic district designation included with all publically

available assessment information. A property with a landmark, landmark site or

historical designation carries with it a degree of owner responsibility to ensure

that any alterations to the property are appropriate to the historical, aesthetical,

architectural, archaeological, educational, economical, or cultural heritage of the

City of Buffalo, New York State, or the United States of America. However, when

these properties are transferred, new owners are may be unaware of their property's

unique designations and may be at risk of performing property alterations that could

have a detrimental effect on City efforts to retain and preserve historically

significant properties. Currently, a listing of the properties that have received

landmark, landmark site or historic district designation is not easily accessible by

the public, nor is such information stored on one central location on the City of

Buffalo website, nor included with a property's assessment information. The Council

maintains that it is essential to inform new property owners of their properties

historic designation in order to preserve properties that are of major significance

to the history and culture of the City of Buffalo.