Minority Leader and Erie County Legislator John Mills was joined by members of the Erie County Legislature’s Republican Caucus in standing up for taxpayers. The Caucus held firm on their position to reject borrowing the $56 million that the Erie County Executive requested in his bond resolution put forth earlier this month. This stance by Republican lawmakers forced negotiations that resulted in a huge savings for Erie County residents.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz put forth a bond resolution three weeks ago without first discussing his spending plan with lawmakers, and knowing the measure did not have support of all the members. Republican legislators pushed back on the borrowing plan, especially when there was a 2023 budget surplus expected to be at least $31 million. That surplus is now expected to be $33.9 million. By holding firm, the legislators were able to save taxpayers millions of dollars without compromising any projects. By forcing the County Executive’s hand Republican lawmakers managed to increase the fund balance, or “rainy day fund,” pay for more projects in cash using 2023 surplus, and reduce borrowing by $15.2 million. The Administration waited until the day of the vote to meet with the Republican Caucus.
“It is fiscally irresponsible to keep borrowing when there are projects for which Erie County borrowed money years ago that still haven’t seen a shovel in the ground,” said Legislator Mills. “Taxpayers end up footing the bill for years on millions in borrowed money for these projects. It makes no sense. We held firm to respect the taxpayers, and ensure a sound fiscal plan was in place for 2024. We achieved that by spending more in cash from budget surplus.”
The agreement secures funding for upgrades at the volunteer fire training facility. Lawmakers also negotiated for more money to be allocated to the storm fund, ensuring proper investments are made in case of weather emergencies.
Republican legislators knew that the Administration’s claims that projects would not be completed if lawmakers didn’t pass the original bond resolution were unfounded. No project was sacrificed as a result of this agreement. There is $15.2 million now designated in pay-as-you-go for several capital projects in 2024.
Over the past three years, Republican legislators have been able to hold firm on the County Executive’s spending requests, ultimately saving taxpayers more than $88 million in interest payments. The agreement they were able to negotiate passed unanimously Thursday, March 21 in the Erie County Legislature.
