Buffalo Common Council votes to approve 2020-2021 budget

On a Facebook Live meeting Thursday morning, the Buffalo Common Council voted to approve the mayor's $519 million budget in a 6-3 vote.

They also addressed a controversy involving the Buffalo police department.

THE DEBATE OVERWHETHER TO REFORMOR DE-FUND THEBUFFALO POLICEDEPARTMENT ISGROWINGSTRONGER..TODAY CITY LEADERSAPPROVED THE CITYBUDGET... WHICHGIVES MORE THAN AMILLION DOLLARS TOTHE BPD...THAT'S A BIGDECREASE FROMYEARS PAST..BUT IS IT STILL TOOMUCH?7 EYEWITNESS NEWSREPORTER TAYLOREPPS BREAKS DOWNWHERE THE MONEY ISGOING... AND CLEARSUP SOME "MIS-INFORMATION"WITH SIX YESES...THEBUFFALO COMMONCOUNCIL VOTED TOAPPROVE THEMAYOR'S 519 MILLIONDOLLAR BUDGET ONFACEBOOK LIVETHURSDAY MORNING.THEY ALSOADDRESSEDCONTROVERSYSURROUNDINGFUNDING FOR THEBUFFALO POLICEDEPARTMENT.FEROLETO "THERE WASSOME MISINFORMATIONGOING AROUND,ORGANIZATIONS WERESHARING INACCURATEINFORMATION."THE PARTNERSHIPFOR PUBLIC GOODSHARED THIS GRAPHICON FACEBOOKSTATING THE BUFFALOPOLICE DEPARTMENTWILL RECEIVE ANINCREASE OF 20MILLIONDOLLARS..AND ASKINGTHE COMMONCOUNCIL FORCHANGE..RIVERA "THERE'S A LOTOF TENSION AND WHILEWE WERE DISCUSSINGTHE POLICE BUDGET,THEY THOUGHT WEHAD INCREASE THEPOLICE BUDGET, WHENIN FACT WEDECREASED THEPOLICE BUDGET.HERE ARE NUMBERSACCORDING TO THECOMMON COUNCIL:LAST YEAR, THEPOLICE DEPARTMENTRECEIVED MORE THAN89-MILLION DOLLARS.THIS YEAR, THATNUMBER IS AROUND 86MILLION DOLLARS..WHICH IS A DECREASEOF ABOUT 3 MILLION..WHEN YOU FACTOR INBENEFITS OFFICERSRECEIVE, THE TOTALDECREASE ISROUGHLY 1.3-MILLION.RIVERA "IT'SDEFINITELY AREDUCTION OFMILLIONS.

OVER THELAST 4 YEARS, THEREDUCTION HAS BEEN6.6%."THE PARTNERSHIPFOR PUBLIC GOODPOSTED AN UPDATETHURSDAY MORNING,CORRECTING ITSORIGINAL DATA.RIVERA "THEY HAVESOME LEGITIMATECONCERNS AND I GIVETHEM CREDIT FORTHAT, THEY'REBRINGING ATTENTIONTO THIS AND I GIVETHEM CREDIT FORTHAT."THOUSANDS OFPEOPLE SHAREDTHEIR THOUGHTSDURING THEMEETING..AND MANYCOMMENTS URGEDTHE COUNCIL "DEFUNDTHE POLICE".FEROLETO "I RESPECTPEOPLE'S OPINION, BUTAS MY COLLEAGUESAND I STATED TODAY,THE BUFFALO COMMONCOUNCIL DOES NOTPLAN ON DEFUNDINGTHE POLICEDEPARTMENT."RIVERA "THERE'S SOMESYSTEMIC PROBLEMSTHAT WE HAVE TOADDRESS.

EVEN ONCETHIS BUDGET ISAPPROVED AND ONCETHE PANDEMIC GOESAWAY WE HAVE TO SITDOWN AND HAVE THECONVERSATION, HOWDO WE DEAL WITH THISSYSTEMICALLY."WINGO "WE'VEDEMONSTRATED, NOWIT'S TIME TO GETBEHIND A PIECE OFLEGISLATION SO THATWE CAN HAVE THECHANGES THAT WE SODESPERATELY NEED INOUR COMMNI