The Western New York Coalition for Progress Releases a Comprehensive Report on New York State County Govenment
April 8, 2006
For Immediate Release
Contact: Alan Bedenko
alanbedenko@wnyprogress.org
(716) 903-6255
Buffalo, New York - On Tuesday April 11th at 12:00 p.m., the Western New York Coalition for Progress will publicly release a comprehensive report on County government in Erie County.
Prepared by the Coalition's Western New York Development and Economic Affairs Working Group, this detailed report examines the laws governing counties in New York State, and the various forms of county government now in existence.
The Erie County Charter Revision Commission recently voted to approve, in principle, the formation of a hybrid County Executive / County Manager system of county government.
The Western New York Coalition for Progress' report casts doubt on the need for such a drastic change, and instead recommends five specific reforms that can have a positive impact on county operations, and can easily be made within our current charter.
Coalition President Alan Bedenko said, "We don't believe that it was the structure of county government that led Erie County to the edge of fiscal disaster. Instead, we believe it was our elected officials who caused the problem - not the offices they occupy." He added, "The people of Erie County deserve a system of government that functions, and it is our opinion that the current system, with appropriate modifications, is a good system that will, with the right leadership, serve its citizens well."
In its report, the Coalition recommends maintaining the elected County Executive, and strengthening the job requirements for the Deputy County Executive to require education and experience in municipal government management. The Coalition also recommends that other county directors and department heads be subject to legislative confirmation and possess advanced degrees and solid experience.
The Coalition also recommends that the County Executive's office be required to provide the legislature and comptroller with monthly budget monitoring reports, and that their pay will be withheld for their failure to do so.
Furthermore, the Coalition believes the legislature should have a central staff member who is a qualified budget officer with experience in preparing or reviewing municipal budgets. Any revenue estimates contained in an Executive's proposed budget should have a sound fiscal basis, and the comptroller's office ought to review those numbers for validity.
The Western New York Coalition for Progress is a nonpartisan organization, (with pending nonprofit status), comprised of hundreds of Western New Yorkers dedicated to making our community and America a better place to live, work and raise a family. We are bound together by a common commitment to progressive values and we aspire to ensure that our national and local policies reflect these values. We work to find progressive and pragmatic solutions to significant problems and develop policy proposals that foster a government that is "of the people, by the people, and for the people."
****************************************************
|
