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That includes what was in-kind and cash spending by the Bills.

Earlier this year, the committee overseeing the community benefits agreement asked the team to spend more of its community contributions in cash and go 鈥渁bove and beyond鈥� the at least $3 million the team has promised to invest locally each year.

The team also was asked by the Community Benefits Oversight Committee to provide more information about the annual community spending required as part of the CBA over the 33-year life of the stadium lease and construction period.

One of the team鈥檚 biggest fund allocations from the first year was $740,000 in donated tickets, items and experiences for youth, community and civic groups. That鈥檚 about 20% of its more than $3.6 million contribution.

Member Maria Whyte, chief community impact officer and chief of staff for the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, wants the Bills to present a more thorough breakdown of their community contributions and whether the spending represents a donation, gift or service or if it was in cash.

The annual report on the latest community spending will be out July 29, summarizing the Bills contributions to community initiatives from March 29, 2024, to March 28. The first year鈥檚 report came out last July.

鈥淭hat level of detail was not provided, and I do think that鈥檚 important to include for the public to understand relative to the commitment,鈥� Whyte said Monday during the Community Benefits Oversight Committee鈥檚 monthly meeting.

This Bills stance on the matter seems relatively unchanged.

The team has made it clear that it has the authority to determine which groups get funding, and that funding typically won鈥檛 be in cash or grants. The oversight committee functions only as an adviser, with the Bills making the final call on community spending.

The Bills reported spending over $3.6 million on community initiatives in the first year of the CBA, but the team has never completely detailed how much each recipient received and the form it took.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a new year so there鈥檚 obviously new things to do, but we also want to make sure we are conscious of where we are with how we鈥檝e invested,鈥� said Penny Semaia, Bills vice president for new stadium relations. 鈥淎s a professional football team, one of our greatest assets is the types of experiences we鈥檙e able to share with others.鈥�

But oversight committee members have said that having more of the Bills annual community investment in cash would help spur a competitive grant process for the public to bring forward its best ideas to improve Erie County鈥檚 poorest communities, including the Bills鈥� former home on Buffalo鈥檚 East Side.

Committee members also have pushed for more transparency in how the money is spent and the process of deciding where dollars go, as well as finding out how much of the money goes toward continuing or new efforts.

The Bills continue to defend their spending, and say they contribute to a variety of areas of community need.

The team focused its first-year spending on three overarching areas. Of them, the largest fund allocation was in the category of community and civic programming, where the team provided investment and participation worth about $1.7 million. The Bills also invested approximately $1.4 million in economic development efforts, which covers supplier and vendor diversity, and around $466,000 in youth and education, the team said.

Part of the team鈥檚 spending also includes continuing prior efforts in the community through established programming the Bills have been engaged in for years. The CBA allows for that type of spending to be counted toward the $3 million in annual community contributions.

The team has hinted that it may eventually consider more of a grant program, but not now.

鈥淲hether that鈥檚 donated tickets to youth groups, community groups and organizations, and other contributions, we know the value in that,鈥� Semaia said.

The community鈥檚 first chance to chime in on the Bills community spending was during a public hearing held in December. A working group formed by the oversight committee then identified some of the most pressing community issues raised during that public hearing to create a report that was approved in April.

The group identified trying to reach and support youth and young adults starting at age 12 with a variety of programming as the area of investment most needed. The report prepared by the group also includes other community priorities like food security and support for small businesses.

The report is intended to help the Bills identify their priorities for their next fiscal year, which begins around the start of each April.

But, due to timing issues over the first two years, the committee has had very little influence over the Bills community spending. During the first year, the committee did not start meeting until nearly three-quarters into the fiscal year and in Year 2, a late public hearing resulted in the report not being completed until the end of the fiscal year.

The 33-year agreement went into effect as the state and Erie County agreed to provide $850 million toward a stadium project that continues to escalate in its price. However, cost overruns on the now more than $2 billion project are the responsibility of the team and its owner Terry Pegula.

The Bills community investment is expected to total more than $120 million over 33 years, and the oversight committee was formed to provide monitoring and accountability in connection with that spending, as well as the construction, maintenance and operations of the stadium project.

A public hearing on the annual team spending on community initiatives and a chance for residents to chime in again on local needs and vulnerabilities will take place Sept. 25.