Legislature’s Majority Caucus looks to build on 2014’s successes

In its first year leading the Erie County Legislature, the Republican-aligned Majority brought long overdue reform. Led by Chairman John Mills and Majority Leader Joseph Lorigo, the Caucus capped the year by approving the 2015 Erie County budget unanimously and rather than holding the line on taxes as the County Executive proposed, delivered a tax rate decrease. It was the first time in several years a budget was adopted with support of the entire Legislature and the first tax decrease in a decade.
 
The Majority Caucus represents at least a portion of nearly every village, town and city in Erie County and includes Chairman Mills, Majority Leader Lorigo, Legislator Lynne Dixon, Legislator Kevin Hardwick, Legislator Ted Morton and Legislator Edward Rath.
 
“We accomplished a lot in our first year in the majority and I am proud of the improvements we have made. Of course there is more work to be done and I look forward to 2015 where we can continue to streamline county government while delivering vital services. Myself and my five colleagues brought the first Republican-aligned majority to the Legislature in 37 years and our first step was to examine the Legislature’s budget and offer real reform initiatives that benefit taxpayers. Under our leadership we cut more than $100,000 from the Legislature’s 2015 budget, will be delivering a surplus for 2014 and have overhauled how the Legislature operates. I have been told repeatedly that the changes have greatly improved how county business is done. That is something we are very proud of,” said Chairman Mills.
 
The Caucus focused on public safety and critical services. Investing in the county’s infrastructure topped the Caucus’s to do list and the Legislators worked to allocate an additional $5 million for 2014 road repairs beyond what was allocated by the County Executive.
 
“When the County Executive finally released his Road Work plan in the spring, the Caucus agreed it didn’t address enough of the issues. In 2014 we faced a tough winter, two blizzards, ice and several bad storms. Our roads took a beating. Residents deserve safe roadways and shouldn’t be forced to dodge crater size potholes during their commutes. The Legislature took action to transfer $5 million from surplus to the general fund. Despite some push back from the administration, crews were able to utilize the funding and repairs several more roads. We are still waiting for the final breakdown of that funding but I believe the public benefitted greatly from the additional funding,” said Majority Leader Lorigo.
 
During discussions concerning infrastructure maintenance and long-term planning, it was decided that the county would benefit from an advisory board dedicated to improving how the county approached repairs and how the county could plan for the future of our roadways. The Legislature formed the Erie County Bridge and Road Infrastructure Maintenance Advisory Board in May to take a community-wide approach to address the significant concerns with the county’s roads and bridges. The board is made up of both county and town officials who have made it their goal to work together to come up with a comprehensive report on the current status of our county roads and how to plan going forward so that we address our crumbling infrastructure.
 
This year, for the first time since 2004, the Erie County Citizens Salary Review Commission met and released a report recommending raises for the County Executive (22 percent increase), Clerk (16 percent), Comptroller (22 percent) and Sheriff (29 percent). The Majority Caucus opposed the raises and voted against the recommendations after holding a public hearing and conducting an online survey that showed residents also opposed the raises.
 
“It would have been inappropriate to raise the salaries. We are working to streamline county government, reduce costs and deliver tax relief to residents. Raising the salaries would have sent the wrong message and would not have helped our efforts to reform government at this time,” said Legislator Kevin Hardwick.
 
The Caucus began the year with Chairman Mills calling for an audit of the Legislature to identify inefficiencies. There were some areas of concern identified and the appropriate changes made. Under previous Democratic leadership, the Legislature was one of only a few departments still logging employee work time on paper, a  process that wasted a lot of man-hours and lacked accountability. Under Chairman Mills’ direction, the Legislature main offices and the district offices maintained by Democratic Legislators were put on the county’s swipe system to electronically record hours.
 
“Government should strive to be as open and transparent as possible. The Legislature was operating under archaic procedures and an upgrade was long overdue. Our staff members work directly for constituents and are accountable to them. The improvements made this past year have allowed the Legislature to work better for the taxpayers we serve,” said Legislator Lynne Dixon. “Throughout the year we have led by example by making changes in the Legislature first. One of the first votes we took in amending the proposed 2015 budget was to make cuts to the Legislature’s budget, totaling nearly $100,000.”
 
·         Fringe Benefits – Reduced from 1,049,147 to $1,023,900 – a savings of $25,247
·         Office Supplies – Reduced $20,999 to $10,999 – a savings of $10,000 (50 percent cut)
·         Utility Charges – Reduced from $35,000 to $20,000 – a savings of $15,000
·         Rental Charges – Reduced from $71,875 to $56,875 – a savings of $15,000
 
The legislature also eliminated non-essential positions in their own department to create additional savings.
 
“The Majority Caucus looked at every part of the budget to find cuts, reduce spending and deliver the tax decrease. When we received the County Executive’s proposed budget he had only held the line on taxes. It was the Legislature, not the administration, which took it a step further to deliver a tax decrease. That is something we are very proud of and something we can build off of next year. Changes are happening in Erie County and they will continue,” said Legislator Ted Morton, who is completing his first year in office. “Our budget amendments not only protected vital services but reinvested in the community, allocating funds for youth organizations, service groups, library and culturals.”
 
In 2015, the Majority Caucus plans to continue to work with the administration and the departments to monitor the budget and prepare for a stronger future.
 
“Erie County is in a good position to possibly lower taxes in the coming years. We have recorded sales tax growth and seen property assessments go up, which are both sources of revenue. On the other side of the coin, our expenses are slated to go down, specifically health care costs thanks to new union contracts and pension obligations. We must capitalize on these trends to provide taxpayers additional relief where possible,” said Legislator Rath.

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