A state lawmaker is aiming to reduce the cost of delivering Erie County services by $13.3 million per year.
Assemblyman Sam Hoyt said Friday he will introduce three bills to his fellow Albany legislators.
All three measures came from recommendations made last summer by an extensive review from the Buffalo Niagara Partnership that identified more than $100 million in potential annual savings.
Hoyt is championing the idea of allowing Erie County to opt into a federal purchasing system -- something that could save an estimated $7 million annually.
The Democratic Assemblyman from Buffalo is also pushing for a bill that will allow judges more leeway for video arraignments of county prisoners, a move that could save $900,000 each year.
Hoyt is also joining ranks with other lawmakers for a push to see the county prisoner cost-reimbursement rate increase from $32 per day to $120 per day to cover state-mandates. Increased prisoner reimbursements would raise another $5.3 million annual for Erie County.
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People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.
• Giving judges more discretion to arraign defendants by video link, which would save the cost of driving the accused from jail to court and back to jail. Right now, defendants can insist on face-to-face arraignments, but Hoyt said his bill attempts to make video arraignments more common. The change could save the county $900,000 a year.
• Allowing local-government purchasing directors to opt for the "best value" not just the lowest price, which could save money in the long run; raising the amount for purchases that require competitive bids; and permitting purchases from federal lists. The county would save about $7 million a year, roughly 10 percent of what the Purchasing Department now spends.
• Reimbursing counties for the entire confinement cost of prisoners held in county jails when they should be in state prison. The county's costs can run $100 to $120 a day, but the state has been reimbursing counties $34 a day. Full reimbursement, which many counties have sought for years, would provide the county with $5.3 million a year, Hoyt said. Only this bill, so far, has a sponsor in the State Senate.
People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.
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