12/2/14: Poloncarz Statement on Passage of 2015 Erie County Budget

Modified: January 23, 2015 4:32pm

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Date: 
12/2/14

County Executive Thanks Legislature, Notes Small Amendments to Original Proposal

ERIE COUNTY, NY— Today, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz issued the following statement following the Erie County Legislature’s unanimous approval of an amended 2015 Erie County budget:

“Today is the culmination of a process that started in late summer. I want to thank the Legislature and my Budget Office staff for the passage of an on-time, non-acrimonious Budget that in the end, includes a small tax decrease for the residents of our community. During the past few weeks I worked with legislators on both sides of the aisle to come up with a workable budget that protected needed services yet did not place a burden on our local residents. Even today our Budget office prepared a set of amendments to be used by legislators to reduce the overall budget by $1.7 million, as compared to the eventual $2.1 million cut.

I specifically want to thank Chairman John Mills, who I spoke with many times in the past few weeks and days, for shepherding through a budget that approved 99.95% of my recommended proposal, and which included very minor changes.  I am very pleased the budget not only protected our important cultural institutions, but also included a very small increase for some of the institutions. While I am disappointed in the cuts to public safety and the libraries, in the end I am pleased the changes were in fact very small and will not impact the People’s Mandates. The people of our community expect their representatives to work together in a spirit of cooperation for the good of the public, and today’s result shows that we can work together for the betterment of all.”