The panel overseeing the Buffalo Bills community benefits commitment for its new stadium wants the team to be more open about how it awards funding – and to do more of it in cash.
Bills send reminder that they have sole control over community benefits spending
The Buffalo Bills had a message for the committee overseeing the team's commitment to spend $3 million a year on community benefit programs: It's the team that has the authority to determine what groups get funding, and that funding won't always be in cash or grants. Sometimes it will be in services or other forms.
Members of the Community Benefits Oversight Committee on Monday said they would like to see more transparency in the process and for the Bills to go “above and beyond” the at least $3 million the team has promised to invest locally each year.
And that means having more of the Bills annual community investment in cash to help spur a competitive grant process for the public to bring forward their best ideas to improve Erie County's poorest communities.
The team hinted that it may eventually consider such a process, but not now.
This comes a month after the Bills offered a statement that the team has the authority to determine which groups get funding, and that funding typically won’t be in cash or grants. And the oversight committee, they said, functions only as an adviser, with the Bills making the final call on community spending.
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Member Maria Whyte, chief of staff at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, said there would be a lot to gain for the team, as well as the community, if the Bills ever came around to the idea.
Some committee members and a community member who spoke during Monday’s meeting of the oversight committee said the team is losing community trust in the process, especially after the statement the Bills issued last month.
Baskin critical of Bills' stance over control of community funding
State Sen. April Baskin, who led the effort to negotiate a community benefits agreement with the Buffalo Bills, said in a letter sent out Wednesday that the Bills are going against the intention of the CBA tied to the building of the $2.1 billion stadium in Orchard Park.
That statement led to a response from State Sen. April Baskin, the former Erie County Legislative chair who led the effort to negotiate the community benefits agreement with the Bills. Baskin was unhappy with the stance taken by the team over who controls the team’s annual $3 million community contribution.
“It’s definitely the case that the CBA doesn’t require it, but I invite the team to go above and beyond, just like the Bills do on the field,” Whyte said. “With so much wonderful opportunity … why wouldn’t you want to put a more public transparent process forward?”
Member Penny Semaia, vice president of stadium relations for the Bills, said in the future there could be an opportunity for more of a grant program, but for now, the team is focused on securing a stable foundation for the annual commitment by first taking time to identify where it can help the community the most.
The Bills are now completing year two of their 33-year agreement, which went into effect as the state and Erie County agreed to provide $850 million toward a stadium project that continues to escalate in its price. However, cost overruns on the now $2.2 billion project are the responsibility of the team and its owner Terry Pegula.
The CBA runs through the three years of construction and then the 30-year lease on the new stadium, which is slated to be open in 2026.
The team reported spending around $3.6 million on community initiatives in the first year of the CBA, but it has never completely detailed how much each recipient received and the form it took.
The Bills community investment is expected to total more than $120 million over 33 years, and the oversight committee was formed to provide monitoring and accountability in connection with that spending, as well as the construction, maintenance and operations of the stadium project.
“We just wanted to help lay that foundational understanding and we wholeheartedly receive (the oversight committee’s) recommendations and take that into account, as we have continual conversations with our leadership,” Semaia said. “Where we start today isn’t always where we’ll be, say, five years from now.”
Community Benefits Oversight Committee
Penny Semaia, vice president of stadium relations for the Bills, and Maria Whyte, chief of staff at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, listen to discussion during Monday's meeting of the Community Benefits Oversight Committee. Michael Petro
Whyte also emphasized the importance of the Bills being transparent so that the public understands the rules behind accessing funds.
“If people understand the process and there’s clarity and transparency, that helps to build and strengthen our relationships in the community,” said Member Franchelle Parker, executive director of Open Buffalo.
Right now, public trust may not to be very strong. The Rev. Mark Blue, chair of the oversight committee, said the Bills statement shook public opinion in the community over the process.
“We know we have the legalities of the agreement, but we also have to look at the optics,” he said. “Sometimes making that statement can be counterproductive.”
Local business owner Connie Ervin said the monthly meetings held by the oversight committee are sparsely attended because the community is not confident that its needs will be addressed appropriately by the team’s community investment.
A working group formed by the committee has identified some of the most pressing community issues raised during a public hearing held in December, as well as using previous studies and research done on community vulnerabilities and priorities.
The group has identified trying to reach and support youth with a variety of programming starting at the age of 12 as the area of investment most needed. In the report, the group aims to focus on youth employment, job training, apprenticeship, mentoring and life skills coaching, financial literacy, transportation, food and housing, mental health, opportunities in sports, access to cultural spaces, and afterschool programming geared for people between the ages of 12 and 29.
New Stadium Construction
Construction crews continue to work on the new Buffalo Bills stadium in Orchard Park on Monday. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
The Bills have also had dialogue with the Buffalo Futures Youth Advisory Committee to hear about barriers being faced by youth in the community.
“What we’re really seeing is that there’s a lot of trouble that’s happening far earlier than it has in past generations, so we thought it was important to start earlier,” Parker said. “We thought it would have the most meaningful impact long term.”
The report prepared by the group also includes other community priorities like food security and support for small businesses. The group is most focused on the 14 communities, or ZIP codes, in Erie County that experience 20% and above poverty rates.
Members hope to pass this resolution by the next meeting, on April 14, and that it helps the Bills identify their priorities for their next fiscal year, which begins at the start of next month.
The team says it should be done this month with a separate website that helps clarify the process related to the $3 million in annual community spending.
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