Mayor Brown to detail proposed budget increase during State of the City

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown will give his annual State of the City address on Wednesday afternoon.

Brown plans to speak on infrastructure projects, new snow-fighting equipment, park improvements and the proposed budget for the next fiscal year.

That proposed budget is just under $618 million -- an increase of 7.1% from the current budget of $576.9 million.

In a news release, the city said various factors led to the higher budget, including union contracts, health insurance costs, Medicare and capital debt. With this, the city is proposing a 9% tax levy increase.

"The tax bill for a home assessed at $100,000 will increase by $78 annually, which equates to a little over $6.50 per month," City of Buffalo officials said.

Brown is also planning to unveil "5/14-related announcements" during his address, the city said.

The mayor is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. We will stream his State of the City address on this page.