The 2026 budget process is well underway. We heard from all the department heads last week and held a public hearing on the proposed budget earlier this week. I always appreciate the public’s input as they speak out in favor of organizations or causes that are important to them. This is going to be an extremely difficult budget. The County Executive has increased spending by $704 million since 2021 and in two of the past three years, Mark Poloncarz has spent more in recurring expenditures than what was received in recurring revenue. That is a recipe for disaster. In fact, just one year ago, projected future budget gaps were 9.1 to 19.6 million dollars. Those gaps are now between 83.6 and 95.3 million dollars. These are statistics from the Comptroller’s office, after reviewing the proposed 2026 budget, as well as budgets from the past few years. There are other storm clouds on the horizon. In fact, Mark Poloncarz in speaking about future budgets, referred to them as “dead flowers and arsenic.” Here’s the problem; Mark Poloncarz has been the Erie County Executive since 2012. He continues to grow government, adding jobs, departments and other expenses and sticking you with the bill. This community cannot afford his spending habits. I came into office just after the red/green budget crisis. At that time, Erie County had to close libraries, parks, highway garages and scale back other services. We cannot travel that road again, but this Administration’s desire to grow government and spend other people’s money puts Erie County in a challenging predicament.
The Erie County Sheriff’s Office is looking to expand the Correctional Facility in Alden and close the downtown Holding Center. The Holding Center, built one-hundred years ago, is without question old, dark, and antiquated. Shifting all operations to being under roof certainly makes sense. The challenge, however, is in how much it will cost. We will continue working through that, as we don’t want to place an enormous burden on taxpayers, nor do we want to exceed the tax cap.
As we prepare for another winter, it is good to see that the Department of Public Works plows are ready to go and we have a stockpile of road salt so that we won’t have a situation like last year, when we ran low on road salt supply.
I want to remind you that Santa Land will be held again this year at Chestnut Ridge Park. It is scheduled for December 13 from 10a to 4p at the Casino. This family friendly event is always great fun.
The holiday season is nearly here, and hopefully that means plenty of time spent together with loved ones. I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. As always, if you have a county related issue, please contact my office at (716)858-8850 or by email at John.Mills@erie.gov
