Poloncarz unveils plans to spend stimulus money

"Our goal is to invest in community assets and at the same time put people to work," Poloncarz said during a news conference Monday.

Poloncarz laid out how he would spend $123.7 million, which includes $89.22 million from the federal American Rescue Plan, as well as $34.4 million in state funding that was threatened, then restored this year.

"This is the largest one-time investment this county has ever seen," Poloncarz said. 

Poloncarz calls his proposal the RENEW plan, for Reinvest in Erie's Neighborhoods and Employ our Workforce.

"We're going to put people to work, hundreds of people," Poloncarz said at a news conference at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.

Most of his proposals would go through the Erie County Legislature, according to Minority Leader Joseph Lorigo.

"What's lost in this, this is still taxpayer money, it's not a gift out of nowhere," Lorigo said. "We need to have deliberations about whether or not this is the right way to spend tax dollars."

Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, who attended Poloncarz's announcement, said much of the plan was Poloncarz's vision before the pandemic. 

"As we come out of this pandemic," Higgins said, "we clearly are in a better place."

"The American Rescue Plan has given us a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest in Erie County," Legislature Chairwoman April Baskin said. 

Major capital improvements would include:

• $31.3 million for projects in Erie County sewer districts, targeting infrastructure and operations enhancement, including energy reductions and pumping station eliminations. 

• $10 million in repairs to the facade of 50 Delaware Ave. and Erie Community College City Campus roof, $5 million for a new county highway barn in the Harlem District, $5 million for the Botanical Gardens expansion project and $4.5 million in repairs to the Convention Center facade. 

• $14.3 million for Erie County parks including rehabilitation of the historic Wendt Beach mansion and stables, accessibility improvements at Chestnut Ridge Casino, restoration of the Como Lake Park lighthouse, grow houses at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, repairs to the South Park casino building and restroom improvements at several parks.

"This is the largest investment in Erie County parks since the WPA projects in the 1930s," Poloncarz said.

Poloncarz also proposes creating an Office of Health Equity, with a staff of nine including epidemiologists, to address disparities in public health outcomes.

He would spend $2.08 million in small business promotion.

He proposed creating 26 new positions, including 10 in the Parks Department, five in the Division of Emergency Medical Services and 11 combined positions in the Cancer Services Program, purchasing and the District Attorney's Office.

His plan would restore 107 of 287 positions that were cut and restore some other cuts to various county departments. Poloncarz said not all the jobs that were cut were filled. 

Lorigo said 19 workers lost their jobs, and he said adding more than 100 new jobs is irresponsible.  

Poloncarz said the county has budget projections showing it will be able to pay for the new jobs with increased sales and property taxes after the federal funding runs out.

"That's why there's not 1,000 new jobs in county government," he said. 

Poloncarz also has proposed using $6 million to provide a premium pay bonus of $5 per hour for every hour essential county employees worked on-site from March 16, 2020, to June 26, 2020. Only employees earning less than $116,400, which is 150% of the county's median income, would be eligible.

The minority leader said he wants to hear more information on how this plan helps the economy recover.

"It doesn't seem like an economic rescue plan to me, this seems more of a government rescue," Lorigo said. 

Poloncarz said the second payment of federal funds will come next year.

"This is just the beginning," he said.

One of the major projects next year will be the build-out of the ErieNet internet broadband plan, Poloncarz said. The county Legislature recently approved a contract for the design of that project. The county executive said the design will take about nine months.