In the beginning on 2014 I was elected by my colleagues in the Legislature to serve as the first Republican Chairman in 37 years. It was one of the highest honors I have received during my tenure as a public official, and it has been a privilege to serve in the capacity. As we enter the New Year I have reflected on 2014 and I am very proud of the accomplishments the Legislature recorded and optimistic that 2015 will see continued success.

As you may recall, one of the final votes taken by the Legislature in 2014 was to unanimously adopt the 2015 budget with a tax decrease. The new legislative majority agreed on a package that respects taxpayers by lowering the tax rate while still providing quality services and investing in the community. The adopted budget also included $100,000 in cuts from the Legislature’s own budget. We said we would lead by example and we delivered. This is just the beginning.

This past year we put a lot of emphasis on road repair and will be carrying that message through to 2015 and beyond. We have to be diligent when it comes to infrastructure maintenance. If we ignore minor repairs now, we will be paying much more for major repairs later. That is why our Caucus allocated an additional $5 million from surplus for 2014 road repairs. This was in addition to the amount approved by the legislature in the County’s Road Project List. We believed that this funding would be extremely beneficial to the county’s Department of Public Works as it faced many challenges following a difficult 2014 winter. Thanks to the efforts of our county crews and contractors, we were able to accomplish a lot more work than had originally been scheduled. I have heard from many residents who were grateful to see terrible roads finally repaired. In addition, The Legislature formed the Erie County Bridge and Road Infrastructure Maintenance Advisory Board in May to take a community-wide approach to address the significant concerns with the county’s roads and bridges. County officials in a partnership with our local town officials plan to work together to craft a more comprehensive road plan that addresses the worsening conditions of our county roads.

The Caucus also led the charge to deny salary increases for the County Executive (22 percent increase), Clerk (16 percent), Comptroller (22 percent) and Sheriff (29 percent). We did not agree with Erie County Citizens Salary Review Commission’s recommendations and voted against any increases. Elected officials should serve the public because they feel it is a civic duty, not because of the rate of pay.

These are just a few of the highlights from 2014. Overall, I believe the County Legislature has improved accountability and transparency across the County and is focused on serving the taxpayers.

I also want to remind residents that I am hosting another HEAP Outreach in the district. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2 at Concord Town Hall, in the Auditorium, 86 Franklin St., Springville. HEAP is a federally funded program to assist income eligible Erie County residents with the costs of home heating, electricity, and energy conservation. The HEAP outreach will be administered by the Erie County Departments of Social Services and Senior Services and is open to all income eligible households. For questions or additional information, please call the HEAP Hotline at (716) 858-7644 or HEAP Application Request Line at (716) 858-1969.

If you have any questions about a county matter, please contact me at 858-8850 or email john.mills@erie.gov. Wishing you all a very happy and healthy New Year.