That the City of Buffalo publish a "cost of good repair" figure every year: what it would cost to bring the roads, water mains, and buildings it already owns back to good condition.
Why this number, and why it's winnable
The city keeps track of how old its roads and pipes are getting, but it has never published what fixing them would cost. And you can't plan for, or budget for, a cost that's never been totaled. The good news: a rough first estimate is cheap and quick to produce, and it takes just one Council member to ask for it.
Nobody here wants a smaller, cheaper Buffalo. The point is being able to afford the things that make it worth living in, good parks, open libraries, clean water, reliable services, and to keep affording them.
This isn't a fringe request. In May 2026, Richard Ciccarone, President Emeritus of Merritt Research Services (an Investortools company), studied nearly 2,000 U.S. cities and pegged their unmeasured infrastructure-repair burden at about $1 trillion, larger than their bonded debt and unfunded pensions combined. He urged cities to start measuring and publishing exactly this number. Buffalo can be one of the first. Read the report ↗
Three steps, about five minutes
Pick your district
Buffalo has nine Common Council districts. Tap yours and the letter below gets addressed to your member automatically. Not sure which is yours? Check the city's Who Is My Council Member tool.
Member emails checked July 2026 against the city's Common Council staff directory. If one bounces, the directory has the latest.
Make the letter yours
Edit the draft below, add your name and neighborhood, and change anything that doesn't sound like you. A short note in your own words always lands harder than a form letter.
Send it
Use Copy or Open in email below. If you picked your district, your Council member's address is already filled in. Then forward it to a neighbor.
Your letter
Two ready-to-send drafts, built from the city's own reports: a short note (often all a busy office reads) and a full version with the reasoning spelled out. Make either your own.
Going to a Council or public-comment meeting instead? The one-page handout is made for handing over in person.
The email button opens your mail app with the letter filled in. If you picked a district, it's already addressed to your Council member.
After you send: replies can take a week or two. If you hear back, tell Strong Towns Buffalo. Tracking which members are on board is how one letter becomes a majority.
This works when it's not just one voice.
Strong Towns Buffalo is a volunteer group of neighbors making this case across the city. Join them, bring a friend, and share these numbers.