WNED 970 News

Audit Shows Parks Takeover is Costing County Money

Mark Leitner

BUFFALO (2006-08-16) Has Erie County's takeover of the Buffalo parks system been good or bad for all parties concerned?

The County Comptroller says the agreement needs tweaking.

The County Attorney does not disagree, although the situation, he says, is not as bleak as an audit of the takeover seems to suggest.

The takeover was done to help the city get over the financial hump; to help the city get a financial breather. It was supposed to be revenue - neutral as far as the County is concerned. But Comptroller Mark Poloncarz says an audit has determined the takeover, at least in the early going of this 15 year agreement, is costing the County many more millions of dollars than envisioned.

"Our audit found that due to annual operating losses, the county has been forced subsidize the operation of parks. For example, in 2005 alone, the County Parks Department and Division of City Parks ended the year with a $776,500 operating loss," Poloncarz said.

County Attorney Lawrence Rubin does not disagree, but said the initial burden and some costs must be put into perspective.
,br> "We ran into some problems in the very first, those problems have been solved," Rubin said.

Rubin says he expects the deal to be "budget neutral" in 2006.

The parks deal is scheduled to run for 15 years.

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