Senator April N.M. Baskin Leads Charge to Introduce Cheektowaga Bed Tax Calling for Specific Allocations, Reducing Tax Burden on Residents

Buffalo, NY – In an effort to unburden Cheektowaga taxpayers with more bond debt, Senator April N.M. Baskin will introduce a bill next week in Albany authorizing the Town of Cheektowaga to implement a bed tax. The freshman Senator is the first lawmaker to advance a plan that calls for those monies to specifically target tangible investments to be used on aging town vehicles and municipal buildings in need of significant repair. 

With Cheektowaga’s current sizable debt, a new revenue source, like the bed tax, is needed to help limit future borrowing and reduce major property tax increases. 

“I’ve spoken with both Cheektowaga Supervisor Brian Nowak and Assemblymember Patrick Chludzinski about the necessity of advancing a bill that will reduce debt and not raise taxes for our constituents,” Baskin said. “Both are in support of this proposal. With three weeks left in session, my priority is to craft this bill and introduce it before we leave Albany. If we don’t get this money-saving bill done next month, Cheektowaga taxpayers will be faced with even more financial hardship. Town costs are escalating each year, so a practical approach is a necessity, rather than the reckless practice of dipping into rainy day funds and buying high interest bonds.”

Cheektowaga is home to 17 hotels; many are in close proximity to shopping districts and the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. In leading this initiative, Baskin noted that the town in 2023 used bonds to finance street lights. The interest was exorbitant, but this new revenue-generating bill will offset that practice, resulting in taxpayers having more money in their pocket. 

Baskin added, “Given the number of hotels and their locations, this bed tax makes more sense than the one proposed for the City of Buffalo. And residents will see how the bed tax revenue benefits them because the Town must use it for capital projects: fixing snow plows and making repairs to the Senior Center.”

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