BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tensions are rising inside Buffalo City Hall over who will operate the Erie Basin Marina, as the Common Council and the city Comptroller’s Office disagree over how the selection process was handled.
The Common Council is seeking a new marina operator after cutting ties with the former operator, the Smith Boys, in November. Past audits by the Comptroller’s Office found the city lost significant revenue under previous marina contracts.
Councilman Mitch Nowakowski said the city followed a public Request for Qualifications process and expressed frustration that concerns are being raised now.
“I don’t understand necessarily the timing of this,” Nowakowski said. “If they showed up and came to work and were a part of it and understood the process, that would have been great.”
Nowakowski said the RFQ process was publicly posted in December and reviewed internally, adding that further delays could affect boaters and taxpayers as the city approaches the upcoming season.
“Boaters are going to expect that they can go into a municipal-owned operation where they have previously for decades,” he said.
The Comptroller’s Office, however, is calling for a pause, saying it was not included in reviewing the RFQ and that long-standing concerns about marina contracts remain unresolved.
“We just want to have an opportunity to review it,” the comptroller said. “We always want to be able to review the RFQ as well as the RFP… to make suggestions and recommendations to the administration.”
The comptroller pointed to multiple audits conducted over the past decade that raised concerns about lost revenue, inaccurate financial reporting, and contract oversight at the marina.
“We’ve done numerous audits… and the need to improve and enhance the services and the existing contracts that existed,” the comptroller said.
The Comptroller’s Office also raised concerns about how the new contract is structured, arguing that marina operations and hospitality services should be separated.
“The whole way that it was set up, it just does not appear to have been properly done,” the comptroller said.
While council members argue the need to move quickly, the comptroller said city leaders have known for years that a new marina contract was needed.
“The Common Council and the administration have known the problems at the Erie Basin Marina for years,” the comptroller said. “Now is the time to get it right. Now is the time to stop making mistakes.”
Both sides say they are willing to meet, but remain divided on whether the marina contract process should move forward or be paused for further review.