Several Buffalo community centers have temporarily closed as a result of a dispute over utility bills.

Those facilities include:

• The Seneca-Babcock Senior Center
• Arlene Mychajliw Community Center
• Hennepin Senior Center
• George K. Arthur Youth Center
• Schiller Park Senior Center

Seneca-Babcock Community Association CEO Brian Pilarski says it's because the City of Buffalo hasn't paid the electric bills at those locations. According to a lease signed in January 2019, the association says that the city is responsible for all utilities.

Pilarski says they were paying the electric bills at those sites until this past July, when services transferred over into the city's name. He claims the city now owes them more than $90,000.

City of Buffalo Director of Communications Mike DeGeorge says the municipality is in the process of paying a bill of around $2,400. They believe it was sent to an incorrect address.

DeGeorge says National Grid told the city that it never turned the power off at any of the locations despite the utility company issuing a shutoff notice.

In response to the $91,000 still owed, which is separate from the current bill, the city says anything owed from more than a year ago requires a formal claim to be filed to seek reimbursement.

National Grid says it does not comment on the status of customer accounts.