Dozens of Erie County residents were able to ask County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz some questions about the financial situation of the county.

Polancarz answered questions on how Erie County got into a financial mess last year and how he plans to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

As it stands now, the county has a balanced budget for 2006 but a $40 million dollar deficit for 2007. Polancarz thinks county services will be affected in order to balance the budget.

It was the first of what Poloncarz is calling his "Listening Tour." The plan calls for spending time visiting various cities and towns throughout the county addressing the concerns of residents.

Recently, Poloncarz voiced concerns about the salary for Jim Hartman, Director of Management Initatives for the county. Hartman, the former interim county comptroller, was appointed by County Executive Joel Giambra and receives an annual salary of $95,000 a year for his new position.

That appointment was also questioned by others because there is already someone who serves a similar purpose on the county Control Board.

Both Giambra and Control Board Chairman Ned Regan have stood by the appointment saying two people are needed to address budget concerns.

Copyright WGRZ-TV, 2006