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Ballot question

City of Buffalo Proposal 8: Budget adoption procedures

On the ballot in
City of Buffalo
Vote
Yes or no
Election
Nov 3, 2026

The question, as printed on the ballot

Amends Charter to give additional powers to the Comptroller to recommend revenue and expenditure estimates in the Mayor’s proposed annual budget and for Common Council to implement those recommendations.

A “Yes” vote means

Lets the Comptroller recommend changes to revenue and spending estimates in the Mayor's proposed budget, and lets the Common Council act on those recommendations.

A “No” vote means

Leaves the Comptroller's and Common Council's current budget powers unchanged.

Official plain English statement

Currently the City Comptroller has limited time and power to review and make recommendations on the Mayor’s tentative budget once it is submitted to the Common Council, and the Comon Council has no power to adjust revenue or expenditure estimates. This Charter amendment would require the Mayor to provide the proposed tentative budget to the Comptroller before submission to the Common Council. If the Comptroller recommends changes to the Mayor’s revenue or expenditure estimates, the Common Council will be able to adjust those numbers downward by a two-thirds vote and any expenditure estimate upward by a majority vote.

Question text is the summary line printed under the proposal's heading in the board of elections' "City of Buffalo Ballot Propositions 2026" document; the printed ballot's exact wording may differ. The explanation is that document's abstract.

Sources

The question and plain English statement are copied word for word from official election materials. The Gist does not take a side on ballot questions.