Legislators Lorigo, Rath, and Loughran introduced a resolution that would eliminate the $22,500 annual stipend received by all Erie County Water Authority Commissioners. The resolution failed by a vote of 5-6 Thursday afternoon.

The resolution proposed eliminating the stipend and paying commissioners a flat $100 per meeting, not to exceed $3,000 annually. Historically, the Erie County Water Authority meets twice a month, which totals $937.000 per meeting at the current rate. Under state law, the Legislature has the ability to adjust the salaries.

Legislator Lorigo said, “This was another attempt to bring long overdue reform to the Erie County Water Authority. The current practice of paying commissioners nearly $1,000 per meeting is unacceptable. Similar water authority commissioners elsewhere in New York State earn approximately $100 per meeting.  I was hopeful my colleagues would support this common sense proposal, but politics ruled the day again as the Majority Caucus voted against any real reforms.”

Legislator Rath said, “My colleagues and I have spent hours at the Legislature discussing ways in which we can make improvements at the water authority. Right now, the commissioners’ salaries are not consistent with the demands of the job. This is something we should examine as we continue to work toward reforming the Erie County Water Authority.”

A copy of the resolution can be found here.