Erie County Legislators Joe Lorigo, Chris Greene, Frank Todaro, and John Mills are asking the County Administration to provide a summary of how emergency COVID-19 relief funds have been spent since the beginning of the pandemic.

The request comes before another $178 million is anticipated to come to Erie County as part of a new COVID-19 federal relief package. In March of 2020, the County Executive was given expanded spending authority by the Legislature and a COVID-19 emergency fund was set up to address the immediate needs of the pandemic. With that authority, the County Executive, Budget Office and Health Department were required to submit a detailed report to the Legislature highlighting all costs associated with the crisis and response, all vendor payments, and new jobs/positions created to address the coronavirus crisis.  As case numbers continue to decline and local economies re-open, the Minority Caucus is stressing the importance of transparency and asking for information on all expenditures out of the emergency fund since it was established.

Legislator Lorigo said, “When the emergency fund was created, the Legislature unanimously agreed that we would need a full accounting of expenditures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the spread slows down and we head in the right direction, it’s time to take a closer look at the money that has gone out the door and how it was spent. Erie County taxpayers deserve transparency, especially when we’re expected to get another $178 million in federal funds in the coming days. Before that money is allocated we need details on how relief funds have been spent to date.”

Legislator Greene said, “A lot has happened since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the County Executive was essentially given blanket authority to spend this pot of emergency funding to help fight the virus. The emergency fund was intended to address the most pressing needs as we were faced with the unknown as cases quickly began rising.  Now that local governments have a better handle on the pandemic, I’d like an opportunity to review how the funding was spent.”

Legislator Todaro said, “It’s a relief to see the number of COVID-19 cases going down as a result of our community’s efforts to slow the spread and the work of our local health officials. However, it’s going to be a long road to financial recovery which is why this next round of federal funding will need to be spent wisely. Before these funds go out the door, we want to take a close look at how emergency funds have been spent so far. We owe it to the taxpayers we represent to obtain this information.”

Legislator Mills said, “It’s been a year since the emergency fund was established to deal with the unique situation presented by the COVID-19 virus. Now that the dust is beginning to settle, we need to see how the funds were spent throughout the past year. I hope the Administration will understand the importance of providing this information and I look forward to reviewing it as soon as possible.”