This past month, the legislature approved the 2017 budget for Erie County where we were able to maintain a fiscally responsible budget while providing the 3rd consecutive tax rate cut in a row. While we have much more to do, I’m proud that we were able to provide county taxpayers some relief.
In this budget we were able to provide funding for several keys assets in our community including the Orchard Park and North Collins American Legions, a new sign in Springville for the Southtowns Scenic Byway and funding for the Memorial Wall at the Orchard Park Veterans Memorial amongst many other cultural and community programs. Ensuring a fiscally sound budget while properly funding key programs and services our constituents expect and deserve has been, and will continue to be, a priority of mine.
I was also pleased to see the completion of the dredging of Green Lake. Orchard Park town officials along with the DEC did an incredible job cleaning up this key asset and restoring it to its former stature. The lake will now refill naturally through rain and snowfall. I commend the town and DEC for all of their hard work in restoring this gem in our community.
While things are going well throughout the county, there are many challenges ahead in this New Year. As a result of a decrease in energy costs and weakening of the Canadian dollar, sales tax revenue continues to decline which creates significant challenges for the county’s budget. In addition, under federal law Erie County must pay the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) yearly payments to help defray the costs for care of the poor and underinsured. Annually the county budgets $16.2 million for this expense. Often though, Erie County ends up paying much more based off a complex formula. It’s estimated in coming years due to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, the county payment amount could increase by tens of millions of dollars beyond what we already pay. These are unpredictable payments the county is obligated to pay. We must start planning now.
These major issues will create a significant challenge for Erie County as we work to ensure a fiscally responsible budget. The months ahead will require careful budget monitoring and the county can no longer afford the type of reckless spending the administration has proposed in the past.
On one last note, I’ll be hosting two Home Energy Assistance Program Outreaches on February 6th from 9am-4pm at Concord Town Hall, 86 Franklin Street, Springville and on February 27 from 9am-4pm at Eden Town Hall, 2795 E. Church Street, Eden. For more details on this or any other issue please contact me at (716) 858-8850 or john.mills@erie.gov. Happy New Year to you and your family!