ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz laid out his plan for the community in his annual State of the County address Thursday.
For the first time in three years, the speech was held in person at the Buffalo Bills' ADPRO Training Center in Orchard Park. Poloncarz began his speech by reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges Erie County and its residents had to overcome.
That reflection became a jumping-off point for the announcement of a four-point "Back on Track" agenda to help children recover from the pandemic. The agenda includes a plan to purchase mobile air filtration systems for every classroom in Erie County and an increase in the county's childcare subsidy.
Poloncarz explained the county is in a unique position going into 2022 with a budget surplus of over $150 million; a combination of federal stimulus, COVID relief monies, and higher than expected sales tax revenue.
"There was never a year like this so it's a once in a lifetime opportunity that we have to use wisely and not put it into programming that will then come back and bite us when we don't have the money to pay for it in the future," said Poloncarz.
That's why Poloncarz said he is looking to make several one-time investments that will give the county the most 'bang for its buck."
One of those investments will be at SUNY Erie which Poloncarz said remains a challenge for the county which continues to see decreasing enrollment and financial stress. The county executive announced that $2.5 million from last year's surplus will go towards early retirement offerings for faculty.
$80 million will go towards improving the Southtowns Advanced Wastewater Treatment plant Poloncarz announced.
Other investments will fall under Erie County's RENEW Plan including $6.7 million which will go towards improving the facilities and mansion at Wendt Beach in the Town of Evans. In a video message shared during the speech, once renovated the mansion would become a venue operated by a third party contracted by the county.
The Buffalo-Niagara Convention Center will not be getting the $400 million upgrade proposed a few years ago. Poloncarz said a new facade would be more fitting given the unknown future of the convention industry. He said this much smaller investment would give the county a chance to reconsider the fate of the building five to 10 years down the road.
"These one-time-only investments in our community as part of the RENEW plan and the additional money we're receiving this year, which will go into projects like the new Buffalo Bills Stadium, or the new $25 million dollar fund for construction for arts and cultural institutions that we're not putting it into new operating expenses,” Poloncarz said.
The county executive shared an update regarding 'Erie Net,' a county-supported broadband program. He said $34 million from the federal government will be invested into the program and that the design of the project is currently being completed. He said construction would begin later in 2022.
Given the venue, funding for a new Bills Stadium was a big cheering point for the county executive. Poloncarz ended his speech with a customary, "Go Bills!"
The Erie Legislature Minority Leader Joe Lorigo who was in attendance Thursday said he believes the Bills' deal is good for taxpayers but offered another perspective on financing it.
"What I'd like to see is putting more money down from our surplus on construction and borrowing less over the next 20-30 years. I've already talked to my legislature colleagues about that. I think we just need to negotiate that further and hopefully get it over the finish line to reduce our debt service for the next 20-30 years,” said Lorigo.
The next hurdle for the stadium deal is to get it passed by the legislature but neither Lorigo nor Poloncarz said they expect that to be a problem.
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