Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz today commended the majority caucus of the Erie County Legislature for offering a prudent amendment package to the 2026 Proposed Erie County Budget (“the Budget”) as part of their charter-mandated review. Balanced and fiscally prudent, as amended, the 2026 Budget will still be $2.081 billion for all General Fund accounts, as proposed by the executive. The package of amendments laid on the table today fine tune some of the spending in the Budget, a package that will now be considered by the full body this Thursday.
“Assembling the Budget is always an exacting process that requires great attention to detail and an appreciation of the larger budget picture, thinking not only of this year but also how this Budget will affect future years,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “It is a collaborative process, understanding the needs of the community and which investments will give us the best return for our money. I thank the Legislators for the time they have taken to review my Proposed Budget and for working with my budget team to craft a fiscally responsible amendment package to it. As such, we have produced a 2026 Budget that meets the many important needs of our county residents, while still addressing the added burdens being placed on the county from recent federal actions.”
Fully 85% of the Erie County Budget is composed of spending mandated by New York State and the federal government for programs in social services and related areas. Despite the ongoing critical need for assistance, some of these programs are targeted for reduction or elimination by Washington, while others are slated to continue, but at a much greater cost to the county.
Poloncarz continued, “The intentional chaos surrounding future federal funding is casting a long shadow over future budgets, and the ‘Big Shift’ being pushed by the majority in Washington will result in an estimated $1 trillion in essential service costs being forced on state and local governments by the federal government. Deep federal spending cuts, increased administrative burdens, and new mandates will put future county budgets under immense strain starting in 2027, so I thank the legislators for working with my team to begin the preparation now.”
The 2026 Proposed Budget can be found here: https://www3.erie.gov/budget/county-budget
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