The Buffalo Common Council voted Wednesday night to approve Mayor Byron Brown's proposed $618 million budget with amendments and recommendations of the finance chair, making deadline by just hours.  

The vote was delayed Wednesday afternoon when city officials said there was some confusion as to whether or not New York state signed off on a 9% property tax increase.

Any time property tax increases are included in a local municipality’s budget, the state has to give an OK before going to a vote. However, the Corporation Council found that the proper steps were taken and through negotiations with the administration, the property tax increase was reduced down to 4.19%.

Council members say this budget was particularly difficult.

"This was a tough budget, probably one of the toughest budgets if not one of the two toughest that I've had in my time at the council,” said Christopher Scanlon, Council president. “And as the city of Buffalo, we are at a point where a lack of revenue is, in the immediate future, going to drastically impact the operations of this city. If we do not realize new or increase revenues in the immediate future, we will be in some sort of financial crisis. And I think we know that, and I for one, will not allow that to happen."

One of the other amendments included keeping the weekly recycling pick-up in the city of Buffalo.