Recently we heard the County Executive’s annual State of the County address where he ran the gamut, discussing several topics and provided very brief overviews. When the speech concluded I was left asking, “So what is the actual state of the county?” I don’t believe we got a sense of where the county’s financial footing was, what challenges the County Executive expected to face and his plan going forward.

We learned about a lot of private company developments, which is positive news, and organizations that support the county, but those are all outside factors. We learned very little about what is happening at the core of Erie County government.

As is the case in any public address, as I always say, the proof is in the pudding. The County Executive was very jovial in his delivery, having the necessary audio visual display and honored guests to make it a good production. What matters to me, however, is delivering results.

Last year the County Executive put together a proposed 2015 budget that only held the line on taxes. The Legislature went to work and found cuts and delivered a tax decrease to residents. In his speech, the County Executive boasted about that tax decrease, taking some credit for himself. What I want to see from a County Executive is leadership, tough decisions being made by the administration and improved efficiency that does better than hold the line on taxes. While I am appreciative of his support in approving our budget, he really didn’t have a choice knowing his veto would be mute with all Legislators coming together to support the final 2015 budget.

I didn’t think we heard enough detail, and much of what we did hear is rhetoric until action is taken and results seen. I am hopeful that come budget time we are in a position to again provide a tax decrease for residents, but we all know that preparing the annual budget is an ongoing process and we must always be mindful of what we can do to deliver quality services to residents while reducing taxes.

In other county matters, a local law has been proposed that would designate Auto Bureau revenues for the Road Fund. It would average about $3 million a year. I think this is a very interesting concept, proposed by County Clerk Chris Jacobs, that would direct an established source of revenue to a critical problem, that being our infrastructure. These funds are generated by fees paid by drivers, I think designating those funds to fix the roads that drivers use is a good suggestion. Hiding this money away in the county general fund, where it currently gets buried, doesn’t help residents or the services they expect to be provided to them. I look forward to discussing this proposal thoroughly. The local law is subject to resident approval and would appear on the November ballot if approved by the Legislature.

With regard to this year’s road work, I continue to request information from the Department of Public Works to ensure that the county is fully prepared to tackle the road work ahead of us this construction season. Crews are already out patching some of the potholes but we have a lot of work ahead of us, minor and major projects.

If you have a question or concern about a county matter, please call or email my office at 858-8850 or john.mills@erie.gov.