The minority caucus for the Erie County Legislature is calling on the administration to give a full accounting of how the county spent the emergency COVID-19 funds since the pandemic began.
Republican legislators Joe Lorigo, Chris Greene, Frank Todaro and John Mills sent a letter to the Erie County Budget Director asking for a detailed account.
This request comes as the county is set to get millions from the federal government from the American Rescue Plan.
The legislators say County Executive Mark Poloncarz was given expanded spending authority last year by the legislature in March 2020 to address immediate needs due to the pandemic. Now that many of the local governments are managing the pandemic, they want more details on how the emergency funding was used.
“When the emergency fund was created, the Legislature unanimously agreed that we would need a full accounting of expenditures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the spread slows down and we head in the right direction, it’s time to take a closer look at the money that has gone out the door and how it was spent. Erie County taxpayers deserve transparency, especially when we’re expected to get another $178 million in federal funds in the coming days. Before that money is allocated we need details on how relief funds have been spent to date,” said Lorigo in a released statement.
Legislator Mills said, “It’s been a year since the emergency fund was established to deal with the unique situation presented by the COVID-19 virus. Now that the dust is beginning to settle, we need to see how the funds were spent throughout the past year. I hope the Administration will understand the importance of providing this information and I look forward to reviewing it as soon as possible.”
Erie County received $160 million in funding last April to help offset costs due to the pandemic. 2 On Your Side has reached out to the County Executive's office for a response and will update when they respond.