A new proposed Local Law being rushed through in the Erie County Legislature is cause for great concern. The measure was introduced by Majority Leader Tim Meyers and will ultimately silence hundreds of thousands of Erie County residents by not giving them a voice when determining how much you pay in sales tax.
For decades the Erie County Legislature required a super majority vote to authorize the extension of the 1% and 0.75% sales and compensating use tax. The Legislature also had the option, by majority vote, to put a sales tax referendum before voters. By requiring a super majority or allowing a referendum, the interests of all communities across Erie County would be considered. This new law, if passed, would require only a simple majority vote to extend or even increase the sales tax. It also eliminates the requirement of a referendum. This is purely a political move. It’s bad government and those pushing this law should be ashamed. By having a seat at the table and negotiating whether to extend the sales tax, the County Executive and Democratic Caucus needed to work across the aisle. My Republican Caucus colleagues worked to reduce spending elsewhere and limit borrowing, so that future generations weren’t burdened with debt. Those talks resulted in millions in actual savings. By introducing this local law, the County Executive and Democrat legislators are looking to expand their power and silence the voices of the 33 municipalities my colleagues and I in the Republican Caucus represent. This is dangerous. This is reckless. This is wrong. This is a power grab and Erie County taxpayers are the ones who lose.
It also concerns me how this local law, if passed, will impact the 1977 municipal sales tax sharing agreement. As it currently stands, towns, villages and school districts receive funding through the sales tax revenue. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown recently noted that he believes the City of Buffalo should receive a greater share of that sales tax revenue. What is to stop these legislators, many who represent at least a portion of the city, from changing the allocation to provide the city with more of that revenue. The suburban and rural communities, where hundreds of thousands of Erie County residents live, work, and play, would be negatively impacted by this change.
Make no mistake, there is nothing about this proposed law that is good for most Erie County communities. They quietly clocked in the law, and then quickly scheduled a public hearing with the hopes that no one would notice. Legislators April Baskin, Tim Meyers, Jeanne Vinal, Howard Johnson, Michael Kooshoian, John Gilmour and John Bargnesi need to understand this is politics at its worst. You can contact them by phone or email. Their information is available on our website, www.erie.gov Go to “Elected Officials,” and click on Erie County Legislature. They are elected to serve you, not serve themselves.
If you have any county related issues, please contact my office at (716) 858-8676 or by email, Christopher.Greene@erie.gov
