Political posturing had Erie County in a difficult financial position as state session came to close

When Albany ends session it is never without some chaos as state leaders try to make last minute deals. Unfortunately this year, Erie County and 52 other counties and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue were caught in the middle of that chaos.

 

The counties’ homerule requests for sales tax extensions were not approved. This has always been a fairly simple vote to get business done. But this year, the Assembly held up the vote. The extensions were connected to unrelated matters, of which were controversial.  After neither side budged enough to get it done, Albany broke for summer recess. This left Erie County in a very unstable position, possibly losing $279 million in sales tax revenue. Of that revenue, the county then disperses $12.5 million to local municipalities.

 

Fortunately, the issue was resolved within a matter of days when Albany returned to session and both the Assembly and Senate approved the homerule requests for the sales tax extension. Had Erie County actually not been granted this, we would have been in a difficult position. The solution would have been raising property taxes and/or cutting services. It didn’t come to that, but this situation highlights the dysfunction in NYS. We depend on that sales tax revenue to pay for services. Our state leaders were wrong to threaten it and use it as a bargaining chip. The residents of Upstate New York are tired of the gamesmanship and I hope, but don’t expect, to see better from all our state leaders.

 

I think the issue in Albany can be especially appreciated this time of year when residents are our enjoying the amenities that Erie County has to offer that would be threatened if we lost a portion of sales tax revenue. Bennett Beach is open for the season, as well as the county’s golf courses. These are services that aren’t mandated, but of course are nice to have and enjoy. You can find more information at www.erie.gov/parks.

 

We are also reminded how important revenue is as we look at the road work that is being done. I just received notice that East Concord Road (Route 240) from Holland Glenwood Road to Foote Road will be started sometime between July 17-24. This road is in desperate need of repair, as is Springville Boston Road, which will be repaved from Boston Cross to Route 39, after Route 240 is done. I know there are many other roadways that you wish were on that list. I do too and will continue to advocate for a better maintenance plan as roadways, especially in rural sections of the county are ignored. As a reminder, Erie County operates an online complaint form, it can be found at www.erie.gov/dpw and click on the “Make a Complaint” button on the right-hand side.

 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at 858-8850 or john.mills@erie.gov