By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – County Executive Joel Giambra insists that there is no need for a control board in Erie County.
"Erie County, right now, has a temporary crisis that we must get through," Giambra said.
He says the county is not "insolvent." He says he's convinced a possible audit from state Comptroller Alan Hevisi would vindicate his spending actions and prove that Medicaid is the cause of the county's budget crisis. In fact, he says he welcomes such review of county spending.
But when Hevesi conducted an audit of the City of Buffalo during its fiscal crisis, he recommended a control board, which is now in place.
"Erie County is not in that position. As a matter of fact, the county's property taxes are the lowest in the State of New York," Giambra said. "The average tax rate is $4.25 a thousand. The average for New York State is $11 per thousand."
Giambra says the county is in a much different situation than the city of Buffalo.
"There is no way that Mr. Hevesi would be able to conclude that based on the fact that the conditions of Erie County are the same as the city of Buffalo," Giambra argued. "Buffalo was at its constitutional taxing margin."
Still, others believe a state review is needed. Last week, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt asked for a state audit, and on Friday, some county lawmakers from both sides of the aisle also called on the state's top fiscal watchdog to conduct an investigation. Majority Leader Lynn Marinelli and ten other lawmakers are asking that Hevesi examine county's finances.