Legislature OKs $1.1B Erie County budget

[steven]

In a vote that went almost directly down political party lines, the Erie County Legislature approved a $1.1 billion budget that holds the line on property taxes, but still relies on the state's largest sales-tax package.
Lawmakers, late Friday, approved the 2007 spending plan by an 11-4 count with suburban legislators Michael Ranzenhofer, John Mills, Barry Weinstein and Cynthia Locklear casting the negative votes. All but Locklear are Republicans.

The vote, while loaded with some grandstanding speeches,was a far cry from the recent past when a fractious county Legislature would debate the budget vote deep into the night.
Republican lawmakers argued the budget was filled with political pork and patronage.

"I thought the public spoke loud and clear, no more pork," said Ranzenhofer, R-Clarence. "We're taking money away from a well-recognized organization like the Buffalo Zoo and giving it to the American Legion Band of the Tonawandas."

The Buffalo Zoo had $34,208 of its intended $1.6 million allocation removed while the lawmakers added a $2,000 disbursement to the American Legion band, which was not slated to receive any county funding.

The lawmakers did add a $500,000 allocation to the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau, well shy of the CVB's request to receive all of the county's bed tax dollars to underwrite its operations. The bed tax, conservatively, produces about $5 million in revenues and was created to solely fund the CVB, not county services.

The CVB will now receive about $2.8 million of the bed tax dollars, although talks remain underway to secure all of the bed tax levy. That action will likely be addressed in January, sources said.
"There isn't a budget made that will make everyone happy," said Legislator Thomas Mazur, D-Cheektowaga.

Under the spending plan, the county property tax will remain at $4.94 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The controversial 8.75 percent sales tax remains in effect with the extra $32 million it is expected to raise going into a contingency fund that can not be used for special projects


http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/s...ml?jst=b_ln_hl

[Cgoodsp466]

In a vote that went almost directly down political party lines, the Erie County Legislature approved a $1.1 billion budget that holds the line on property taxes, but still relies on the state's largest sales-tax package.
Lawmakers, late Friday, approved the 2007 spending plan by an 11-4 count with suburban legislators Michael Ranzenhofer, John Mills, Barry Weinstein and Cynthia Locklear casting the negative votes. All but Locklear are Republicans.

The vote, while loaded with some grandstanding speeches,was a far cry from the recent past when a fractious county Legislature would debate the budget vote deep into the night.
Republican lawmakers argued the budget was filled with political pork and patronage.

"I thought the public spoke loud and clear, no more pork," said Ranzenhofer, R-Clarence. "We're taking money away from a well-recognized organization like the Buffalo Zoo and giving it to the American Legion Band of the Tonawandas."

The Buffalo Zoo had $34,208 of its intended $1.6 million allocation removed while the lawmakers added a $2,000 disbursement to the American Legion band, which was not slated to receive any county funding.

The lawmakers did add a $500,000 allocation to the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau, well shy of the CVB's request to receive all of the county's bed tax dollars to underwrite its operations. The bed tax, conservatively, produces about $5 million in revenues and was created to solely fund the CVB, not county services.

The CVB will now receive about $2.8 million of the bed tax dollars, although talks remain underway to secure all of the bed tax levy. That action will likely be addressed in January, sources said.
"There isn't a budget made that will make everyone happy," said Legislator Thomas Mazur, D-Cheektowaga.

Under the spending plan, the county property tax will remain at $4.94 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The controversial 8.75 percent sales tax remains in effect with the extra $32 million it is expected to raise going into a contingency fund that can not be used for special projects


http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/s...ml?jst=b_ln_hl

Well my Ignorant friends in Erie County. It looks like the people who conned you in to voting for them last year in the so called Tax Revolt turned in to be the Nazis that I knew they would become. After hearing Maria on the News last night I could not help thinking of Eva Braum.Then the Camera panned to Lynn “She wolf of the SS”. People of Erie County you got screwed plain and simple. Pork and Patronage!!
It’s the ruling class telling you peasants to eat cake. Maybe God will shine down and the Control board will make some budget changes. Meanwhile out here in Niagara County the ignorant voters are getting it stuck up their backside too. My County is the highest taxed county in the country!!!!!!!. People they are the enemy wake up before it’s too late.