Four Erie County legislators used the backdrop of Chestnut Ridge Park on Tuesday to again urge County Executive Joel A. Giambra to renegotiate the contract under which the county cares for Buffalo’s parks, or do away with it.

The contract was billed as a breakeven arrangement when approved by lawmakers in July 2004. But County Comptroller Mark C. Poloncarz has found that taxpayers countywide are paying extra for the agreement, while county-owned parks in the suburbs, such as Orchard Park’s Chestnut Ridge, suffer from a lack of maintenance.

With the Common Council also considering whether to take back the city’s parks, the county’s three Republican lawmakers and a Democratic lawmaker said the pact should at least be renegotiated so the county breaks even financially.

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