The city council’s decision to delay approval of state GIVE funding is now affecting multiple community programs, including an upcoming Youth Community Fun Day, according to Council Member Bridgette Myles.
On Tuesday, Myles said city police Superintendent Nick Ligammari informed representatives from Men Standing Strong Together that the police department will be unable to provide $500 to support the group’s upcoming Youth Community Fun Day. On Facebook, Myles asked residents to donate $20 each to cover the $500 loss so the event could continue.
In her Facebook post, Mylse said she supports public safety as well as the city’s youth and community organizations doing every day work. She said asking how more than $1.1 million in GIVE funding, along with an additional $150,000 recently announced for the Falls by Gov. Kathy Hochul, directly impacts the community is part of her responsibility as an elected representative.
“How is this money impacting preventative measures and helping families of victims who need it most?” she said in an interview with the Gazette on Tuesday. “Is there after care? Is there counseling? Are their case managers? These are all questions I have. We want more details on how this money is being used and put into the community. Give me the plan. Once we approve it and authorize it, we don’t have any say after that. I want these answers upfront so the community can receive them and hold the right people accountable if right things aren’t being done.”
Cauley agreed, saying he still has questions about the use of GIVE funding, including dollars allocated to the John Finn Institute for Public Safety, a non-profit corporation that assists municipalities and law enforcement agencies.
He also questioned the timing of the police department’s decision to opt-out of participating in the track and field event and limiting its involvement in other community events while citing lack of GIVE funds as the primary reason.
While the mayor and police officials consistently claim the program has been effective, Cauley said he needs more proof, which he believes are found in the program budget.
“This is for anti-gun violence. Are we achieving the objective?” he said.
Other council members offered differing views on the impact of the funding dispute.
As to questions about the use of GIVE funds from his council colleagues, Council Chairman Brian Archie said he understands the need to scrutinize how and where the money is spent. He also believes, generally, the money is being used effectively by the police department, citing the investigatory work officers have been in the wake of the pair of deadly July 4 shootings.
When asked if he knew why Niagara Falls firefighters — who are not eligible for funding under GIVE — didn’t attend Monday’s National Night Out Youth Development Track and Field event, Archie said it was not a question he could answer at this time.
He said he hopes it was not related to the council delaying approval of GIVE funds, which he believes would send the wrong impression.
“What it will appear to people is it’s a circling of the troops and we’re just going to stand down until this is done and you can’t give that impression to the community,” he said.
Council member Jim Perry said it “only stands to reason that any employee asked to work an event be paid.” He noted the federal Fair Labor Standards Act requires compensation for public employees performing work — even if it involves attending community events while on duty.
“If police officers are asked to work an event or attend in any official capacity, they must be paid,” he said. “The GIVE grant provides funding for those officers that are asked to work above and beyond their normal work schedule. I have heard some people criticize this practice, but plain and simple, it is a federal law. These are not salaried employees and need to be paid.”
Archie agreed city employees serving on-duty in their official capacities must be paid for their time. In the case of the track event, however, he said it’s clear no police officers were assigned by management to attend a community event they’ve always attended in the past. He said he views it as a missed opportunity for public safety personnel to interact with young people and their families and struggles to understand how none of them were able to volunteer this year.
“It’s not a condemnation of the police, but somebody could have shown up to show there’s still dedication to the cause,” he said.
Restaino, Ligammari and other city officials are scheduled to hold a press conference on Wednesday where they are planning to call on the city council to reconsider and authorize receipt of the state grant funding. In a statement accompanying the press conference announcement, Restaino called it “unconscionable” for the council to fail “in such a spectacular display of ineptness” to not authorize more than $1 million for a program that has “a proven track record in reducing violent crime not only in Niagara Falls but across New York state,”
“It is a slap in the face not only to our residents and taxpayers but to those who serve our community in public service and not-for-profit organizations across the region who work every day to make our streets and neighborhoods safer,” Restaino said.
In an emailed response to questions from the Gazette, Ligammari said the GIVE authorization issue may result in “limited” participation by police personnel during tonight’s National Night Out event in the Falls.
In the absence of available grant funding for overtime, Ligammari said afternoon shift patrol officers will be encouraged to attend on a rotating basis as operational needs and calls for service permit. As a result, he said, their attendance may be limited and subject to interruption if they are needed to respond to incidents.
Ligammari noted that the police department has donated two bicycles to be raffled off to children attending the event. The bicycles were purchased through the Community Engagement budget line of the previous GIVE grant, which expired on July 1, 2026.
According to Ligammari, had the GIVE funding been available as anticipated, about $3,000 from the Community Engagement budget line was planned to be used for overtime to assign officers to attend, allowing for a dedicated and sustained police presence throughout the event.
“Officers are not always compensated through GIVE grant funds to attend community events,” Ligammari said. “Many officers volunteer their time to attend neighborhood events, community gatherings, and school functions, while others participate as part of their regular on-duty assignments when operationally feasible. GIVE grant funding is used only when officers are specifically assigned to eligible community engagement activities and overtime is necessary to support those assignments in accordance with the grant’s allowable uses.”