Erie County Legislature Majority Leader Joseph C. Lorigo announces that the Legislature unanimously approved a resolution on Nov. 3, 2016 that is aimed at increasing public participation in county government. Cosponsored by Majority Leader Lorigo, Chairman John Mills and Legislator Ted Morton, the resolution will force a rule change to require that all Legislature public hearings be held no earlier than 6 p.m.

“Often times there is little to no participation at our public hearings, which are an important part of the process. To ensure we are working for the people of Erie County we to need to best accommodate constituents. Based on extremely low participation in the past, I believe changing the public hearings to the evening will increase the amount of speakers in attendance,” said Majority Leader Lorigo.

Majority Leader Lorigo noted that because the Legislature cannot accommodate each and every schedule, the Legislature accepts written comment for all public hearings. Residents who are unable to attend the hearing but wish to voice their opinion can do so by writing to the Clerk of the Legislature at 92 Franklin St., Fourth Floor, Buffalo, NY 14202.

“The Legislature continues to improve transparency and accessibility through various initiatives. I am hopeful that we will see an increase in public input following this rule change because meeting the needs and wants of residents is why we are here,” said Majority Leader Lorigo.