By Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz
Last month my administration was able to come to an agreement with the Erie County Legislature to approve a bond resolution that, among other things, will allow for several large infrastructure projects that were previously in jeopardy of being delayed or outright cancelled to proceed as scheduled.
A resolution authorizing Erie County to issue bonds for 30 important infrastructure projects had been previously opposed by three members of the Legislature’s Minority Caucus. There was no reason for that resolution to be rejected other than to delay the projects, but I am glad we were able to reach a compromise.
As part of the agreement, my administration agreed to reduce the amount of the total borrowing by paying for a few projects out of the 2023 surplus, thereby saving long-term interest. I want to once again thank my partners in county government from the Majority and Minority caucuses for their willingness to work together to reach a common goal. This latest round of negotiations is an excellent example of elected leaders working cooperatively to serve their constituents and meeting the needs of the community.
As I have often mentioned in the past, government work is not always pretty, but when you can put your political differences aside and work collaboratively, good things can happen. I am pleased we were about to avoid the obstructionist action we are seeing far too often on the national level as well as in some local municipalities here in Western New York, most recently in the town of Cheektowaga.
What does this bipartisan funding agreement mean for you? It starts with wise infrastructure investments involving roadwork scheduled to happen along New Road in Amherst, Borden Road in Cheektowaga and various other stretches of road in the towns of Aurora, Boston, Concord, Collins, Eden, Lancaster, Marilla, Newstead, Sardinia and Wales. There also are major road construction projects scheduled to take place in Amherst, Boston Cheektowaga, Clarence, Evans and Lackawanna. It will continue with bridge projects on Clarksburg Road in Eden, Four Rod Road in Marilla, Hunters Creek Road in Holland and County Road in Clarence.
My administration remains committed to providing county residents and visitors to our region with the best roads and bridges possible. That can only occur when we have the commitment of the County Legislature to invest in projects that address needs in all corners of Erie County. It is important to repair infrastructure annually but also crucial to have a strategic long-term plan on projects that need to be done beyond this year.