By Mike Greco
Buffalo, NY – Three Republican county legislators say the county wouldn't need to borrow money to repair roads if the Giambra administration used revenue from an existing tax for that purpose.
Lawmakers Michael Ranzenhofer, Barry Weinstein, and John Mills say the County will be receiving nearly $11 million this year from the real estate transfer tax. They say that money should be going to a road fund. But Weinstein says only $2.2 million has been designated for road repairs.
The administration is now proposing to borrow money in order to pay for such repairs -- a move Weinstein says he disagrees with.
"I spoke to someone from the control board this (Monday) morning, and they expressed concerns about the county's long-term borrowing," Weinstein said. "This is an example of moving money from one pocket to another. They're proposing to bond road repairs, which should be an ordinary expense from the road repair fund."
Weinstein also said that if the full amount of the road fund is not dedicated to repairs, the real estate transfer taxshould be eliminated.