Halt subsidies for Erie Community College? Sell Erie County Medical Center?
Not so fast, says county comptroller candidate Mark Poloncarz, who reacted Sunday to the Buffalo Niagara Partnership's Erie County Stabilization Project, a 350-plus-page report detailing several cost-cutting measures to save the county tens of millions of dollars.
The business leaders' study recommended 128 ways to streamline the government and endorsed fees for road patrols, privatizing golf courses, a smaller library system and stopping subsidies for ECMC or folding it into another hospital network.
At a news conference Sunday in front of Old County Hall, Poloncarz praised the report for providing a "comprehensive review" of the county's departments, acting as a potential "road map" for the region's future and offering recommendations on savings.
However, Poloncarz believes some of the suggestions need further examination, adding that he is skeptical about cutting subsidies for the community college and county hospital.
"ECC and ECMC do provide a benefit, on a whole, but the report does not look at the impact this will have in the long run," said Poloncarz. "ECC is a school for a lot of people, particularly on the East Side, and it's the only school where some people can afford tuition . . . If we take away the subsidies, what have we done but take away a chance for a kid to afford to go to school?"
Poloncarz said the study also failed to review two departments - the Department of Emergency Services and the comptroller's office. Poloncarz, a Democrat heading toward a September primary election, said he plans to strengthen the comptroller's office by issuing frequent audits, departmental performance reviews and revenue reports.
When asked about the report's recommendation on fees for road patrols, Poloncarz said, "We just can't pick up and end road patrols."
What about a smaller library system? Poloncarz said he "hates to see libraries cut" but added that the county can't afford to keep all the libraries. He added that smaller cutbacks could be examined, such as operating some three-day-a-week libraries.
Copyright: Buffalo News 2005
