I hope you all had a wonderful summer. It’s hard to believe our children and grandchildren will soon be heading back to school. Please be sure to keep an eye out for the little ones as they return to class and remember to stop every time a school bus does.
Roadwork also continues. As always, help keep our crews safe by practicing caution in road construction zones.
The Erie County Legislature is also returning to session. Soon we will get a look at the County Executive’s proposed 2026 spending plan. Mark Poloncarz has grown the Erie County budget significantly in his 14 years in office, often using one-time dollars for personnel or programs that are recurring expenses. The federal COVID dollars could have been used for game-changing initiatives. Unfortunately, they were instead spent on growing county government. Meanwhile, there are legal settlements still looming. The Administration and Erie County Attorney’s office need to keep legislators informed as to the status of those settlements and the likely cost to taxpayers. It concerns me that they have not been completely transparent in that regard.
I recently had the opportunity to tour the Erie County Holding Center and the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden. It is clear to me that the Holding Center has outlived its usefulness and is not conducive to best practices now. Built almost 100 years ago, the design does not meet today’s standards. We are better off combining the two locations in Alden, where there is plenty of room to grow if needed and where the facility is in far better shape. The Jail Management Division staff provided great insight into the challenges they face. A recent needs assessment backed up their concerns, recommending the consolidation of the operations at a renovated and expanded facility in Alden.
I am continuing my stops at town board meetings across my district. It is important to hear from you about issues of concern as I work to resolve those issues. The district is vast, and your input provides me with the information needed to address them.
I also had the pleasure recently of meeting with some Orchard Park High School seniors. They had the chance to see government in action when they stopped in to witness a legislative session. Perhaps it will inspire some of them to seek public office.
It is hard to believe we are heading into the final year for the current Buffalo Bills stadium. The stadium opened 52 years ago this month and has provided us with so much excitement through the years. I think we all share some very special memories. It has been thrilling to watch the new stadium go up, and I congratulate our skilled labor force for their remarkable job in building this new home. I’m looking forward to seeing it completed.
If you have a county related concern, please contact my office at 716-858-8850 or by email at John.Mills@erie.gov
