Buffalo Common Council passes budget, reduces tax levy increase

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The Buffalo Common Council passed the $618 million city budget Wednesday by unanimous vote after a handful of amendments, the biggest of which was reducing the tax levy increase.The process was at a standstill for over five hours due to whether the council would approve the mayor's budget. The budget included a 9 percent tax levy hike, which is higher than the state-mandated two percent cap.In the end, the council approved a budget with a reduced tax levy hike of 4.19 per