Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced the county’s proposed $153 billion operating budget for 2019, an increase of three percent from 2018. It includes a two percent drop in the property tax rate, the largest cut in more than a decade. 

How is that possible? There's more cash coming into the county.

"We are generating more money in our property tax through the increased amount of building and assessment growth that we've seen in our community," Poloncarz said.

The property tax rate would decrease from $4.95 per $1,000 of assessed value to $4.86.  That could equate to a savings of $9.00 for a house valued at $100,000 if the assessment remains the same.  If the assessment goes up, the actual tax payment would rise accordingly.

"We are cutting the tax rate and we are staying under the tax cap and I think that's a very good message to be sent when other communities are having to raise their tax rate because they don't have enough revenue to pay for their services," Poloncarz said.

Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw, however, criticized Poloncarz for failing to deliver timely projections on tax revenue.  He says tax cuts under President Trump are fueling the economy and thus, the county's growth in tax money, while spending has increased $177 million under Poloncarz since 2012.

"That is not good for the people of Erie County. I feel as though there should be cuts when it comes to spending," Mychajliw said.

That's a sentiment shared by Joe Lorigo, the Minority Leader of the County Legislature, who has concerns about the number of county employees being added in the budget proposal. 

Poloncarz pointed out several new jobs are being created to staff juvenile detention and probation after state mandates following the passage of the "Raise the Age" law concerning youthful offenders.

"We are lowering the tax rate which I think the County Executive has seen over the past several years that that's our goal every year," Lorigo said. "The concern is still that the costs are increasing. The price of government is going up. Our spending is getting to be a little bit out of control and we've got to rein that in."

"We've been able to make modest cuts to the tax rate, but this is the largest tax rate cut since I've been on this legislature," said Peter Savage, Chairman of the Legislature. "I commend the county executive for recommending that. I would encourage my colleagues to adopt that."

The proposed budget is now in the hands of county legislators to review. They must vote on the budget by December 10. 

 

Key numbers in the proposed 2019 Erie County budget:

  • $32 million for infrastructure improvements, including $2 million for new equipment and $1 million toward the redevelopment of the former Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna
  • $3.2 million for capital improvements in county parks, part of which would include hiring a regional deputy commissioner for the parks systems to centralize scheduling and planning
  • $2 million for improvements to New Era Field as part of an ongoing lease agreement
  • $250,000 for identifying and combating six cancer clusters in the West Cheektowaga-East Buffalo area
  • $250,000 for the Monumental Women’s project to recognize trailblazing women of the county
  • $182,000 to support the creation of the Buffalo Presidential Center at the Downtown Library
  • $100,000 for the creation of the African-American Veterans Monument