BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Wednesday afternoon Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz delivered his State of the County address at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
It was in the same auditorium where he delivered his first State of the County.
"Erie County is strong and getting stronger with each passing day!" emphasized Poloncarz (D).
The county executive, in his final term, touted achievements within the last year:
- Launching Erie County's Ambulance Service
- Plans to restructure the county's correctional system
- New snow equipment for storms
- Moving forward with plans for hundreds of new affordable housing units,
- $50 million renovation to the Southtowns Advanced Wastewater Treatment plant
- Erie Path. Poloncarz said more than 98,000 people have used the county's mental health app since last fall
In the remainder of his 38-page speech, which lasted around 50 minutes, he also gave updates on future projects such as:
- Construction underway for Erie Net, which is set to provide 400 miles of fiber and broadband in the county's underserved areas
- The new Bills Stadium, is "ahead of schedule"
- Erie Corps - A project to create seasonal jobs for county residents ages 18-22-years-old, who are living at less than 200% of the federal poverty level.
GOP legislators were not pleased when Poloncarz said the resolution for Erie Corps would go to the county legislature on Thursday.
“We need to get more information," said Erie County Legislator Frank Todaro (R). "We need to know what's going on. We need to debate and talk about this."
Todaro said this is another example of poor communication by Poloncarz.
"Not even 24 hours, and we have a resolution tomorrow that we have to vote on," said Todaro to reporters.
Two significant systems Poloncarz looks to introduce involve the justice system and property taxes.
COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE
Poloncarz said he is, "establishing a work group to research, plan and lay the groundwork to create an Erie County Public Defender's Office." The county executive said Monroe County spent $9.3 million with their Public Defender's Office, compared to the $40 million Erie County will spend this year on indigent defense.
When asked if Monroe County's Public Defender's Office is efficient, Poloncarz said he needs to do more research through this planning. However, he did say an internal public defender's office could save the county millions of dollars every year.
PROPERTY ASSESSMENT
Poloncarz also wants to implement a county-wide system for property assessments to get all properties on the same page.
"Some municipalities have not reassessed properties in decades, while others are more current, giving a distorted picture of property values in Erie County," said Poloncarz. "By establishing an Erie County Assessor’s Office, like Tompkins and Nassau County, we can bring a much-needed solution to this maze by streamlining property assessment processes, promoting fairness, and enhancing transparency in valuations countywide."
Poloncarz said this would not mean that tax levies are raised, but instead ensure "equitable redistribution of property tax."
