BUFFALO, N.Y. — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced on Twitter Monday that the property tax rate in Erie County will be cut for 2023.
He says the cut will be released in the proposed budget which will happen in about a month.
"I inherited a $5.03 tax rate in 2012. We've lowered it to $4.32 as of 2022, and I can confirm it will be cut again, with the final number to be determined by October 15," Poloncarz tweeted.
Erie County Legislator & Minority Leader Joe Lorigo put out a critical statement that the county needs to do more by lowering the tax levy and decreasing spending.
“Earlier today, the County Executive posted on social media that his proposed 2023 budget will lower the county tax rate. Lowering the tax rate is not enough. Erie County needs to lower the tax levy, decreasing the amount we spend in a year. Only then will families pay less in taxes. For his entire time in office, County Executive Poloncarz has been playing a game of declaring a lower average county tax rate as a victory, while his administration takes advantage of rising property assessments. Residents are still paying more, and there is no reason for it. Last year, Erie County had a more than $140 million operating surplus. t’s time we stop taking more and more from property tax payers when we don’t need it, and they are struggling with out of control inflation. For perspective, the county property tax levy has grown from $237 million the year Mark took office, to over $321 million last year. Each year the rate stayed the same or went down, despite nearly $100 million more paid in property taxes. Taxpayers deserve better than smoke and mirrors, they deserve a property tax cut.”