By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – Erie County Budget Director Gregory Gach presented the administration's proposed 2009 budget to skeptical lawmakers Wednesday.
The proposed budget was already a hard sell with lawmakers who have said publicly there is no appetite for any tax increases. The county executive's plan carries a 3.6 percent property tax hike and $576,997,000 in extra fees. Gach explained what he describes as a perfect storm that led to the proposed tax hikes. He pointed to flat sales tax growth and reduced state aid. He said the administration trimmed spending and cut more than 200 jobs. But he said a tax hike is still needed.
But lawmakers questioned everything from raises for top officials to assumptions that sales tax growth would be flat. Lawmakers vowed to take out their red pens and make more changes and more cuts to eliminate any tax hikes.
Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz cautioned them that the state might end up cutting aid by twice what is reflected in the budget proposal. And lawmakers would be unable to raise taxes mid-year to make up the difference. Finance Committee Chairwoman Kathy Konst acknowledged the county might end up in a bind.
"It would be bare bones," said Konst.
Yet, in some cases, lawmakers thought the budget lacked enough spending, such as incentives for union negotiations. Polocarz said lawmakers will have a tough time sorting it all out to make any changes because the budget is not as transparent as in years past.
The finance committee will begin meeting Monday with department heads and agencies that receive county funding before making adjustments to the budget.
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