ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- In a rare agreement Friday between Monroe County Legislature Republicans and Democrats, they voted unanimously to take a step toward dissolving local development corporations, but not everyone's happy with how the issue came up in the first place.

Monroe County lawmakers are asking state government to let the county refinance $80 million in debt carried by three local development corporations.

"Certainly creates more transparency and accountability. These are essential government functions that really do belong in the hands of County government and the people who are here,” said County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo. 

Before the early morning meeting, legislature Democrats sounded off.

"This is an action long overdue. These three LCDs have a long and sad history,” said Joshua Bauroth.

Dinolfo made dissolving LDCs a priority during her campaign. Two of the three entities -- Monroe Security and Safety Systems LDC (M3S), Upstate Telecommunications Corporation (UTC) -- were the focus of a bid-rigging scandal led by the state Attorney General's office, which resulted in four people being convicted. A fifth case is pending.

Monroe Newpower is the third LDC.

"If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, quacks like a duck -- it is a duck,” said legislator Cynthia Kaleh, a Democrat.

Democrats in the legislature have long been critical of LDCs, and promises they would save taxpayers money.  For one, they're not government entities.

"Unless they cooperate, they're not ‘FOIL-able,’ they don't have to open their books to anyone and that, from the beginning was one of the first questions that was raised,” Kaleh said.

"I think the members of the legislature at the time reacted to the information they had,” Dinolfo said.

Dinolfo says the refinancing will save the county close to $19 million. Democrats are generally pleased, but say a lot more could have -- and should have -- been saved.

"Do we have an estimate of the savings had we made this move two to three years ago?" Bauroth said.

"We are moving forward. That would have been for the consideration of our previous administration,” said William Napier, the county's director of communications.

State legislature approval will give county administrators the authority to dissolve the three LDCs. And validation for critics who warned this day would come.

"We were always assured there was no problem, but it didn't turn out that way,” Kaleh said.