The Erie County Legislature announces it approved the formation of the Erie County Bridge and Road Infrastructure Maintenance Advisory Board to take a community-wide approach to address the significant concerns with the county’s roads and bridges at the May 22, 2014 session.

“I believe this advisory board will lend itself as a great asset to addressing the issues the county is facing with its roads and bridges. We not only need to do a better job repairing the most immediate concerns, but we also need a formal long-term plan for maintaining and repairing the roads and bridges as economically as possible. The county has been without a comprehensive plan for some time now and this advisory board will play an important role getting the county on the right path,” said Chairman John Mills. “I think what is most important about this advisory board, is that it brings together village and town officials, as well as the county executive and legislature, to have these important and critical conversations. Our local officials bring a valuable perspective to the table. In order to best serve the residents of Erie County, we must work together on addressing our infrastructure concerns and I look forward to reviewing the recommendations from the board.”

The resolution creates the 14-member board (11 voting and 3 non-voting members) that will be tasked with reviewing the current state of the county’s infrastructure and make recommendations for how the county can best repair and maintain roads and bridges. During session, the resolution will be amended to add two non-voting members: a Legislator from the Majority Caucus and a Legislator from the Minority Caucus.

The formation of the advisory board was suggested by Chairman Mills and Legislator Patrick Burke. During the discussion, County Executive Mark Poloncarz showed an interest in creating the board.

Once the proper appointments have been made, the board will meet at a date and time that will be announced.