Even with a property tax cut, the newly-adopted $1.5 billion Erie County budget doesn't go far enough, says County Legislature Minority Leader Joe Lorigo. Overall, the 2019 budget, which passed the legislature in an 8-3 vote, increases spending because of a rise in property values and that's why Lorigo says the cuts could have gone deeper.

"We continue to rob taxpayers blind when we should be giving them that money back. We had that opportunity today to provide actual real tax relief and give Erie County taxpayers money back in their pockets," said Lorigo, C-West Seneca. "Instead, we ripped it away again and gave them something they don't need and don't expect."

"There were deep cuts within county departments. That was not acceptable to all members of the body," said Legislator Peter Savage, D-Buffalo. "It was recognized that we needed to do some kind of a cuts and we needed to do more in terms of returning tax dollars to the community so, rather than cutting 13 out of the budget, we cut six million out of the budget, while at the same time maintaining road repairs and other things that are important."

There is $30 million allocated toward repairing county roads.