GOVERNMENT
Paterson gets advice on control board
People on opposing sides of the issue are telling Gov. David A. Paterson what to do with a bill to let Erie County government borrow money without the approval of its state-appointed control board.
The bill approved by the State Senate and Assembly would settle a long-raging dispute over the control board’s wish to step in and borrow on the county’s behalf. It also would activate some of the county’s slow-moving public improvement projects.
But the bill would weaken the power of a control board in a county with one of the nation’s lowest credit ratings. Control board Chairman Anthony J. Baynes has vowed to resign if Paterson signs the change into law.
Paterson has everyone guessing. Spokesman Morgan Hook observed that the governor recently said this might not be the year to weaken the control boards operating in Buffalo and Erie County because of “the general recession we are in right now.” But he also stressed Paterson wants to do more research because “this is a lot more than just a bill.”
The governor has 10 days to veto the bill after it reaches his desk if he wants to reject it. It becomes law if he doesn’t act within that time. However, it can take days for bills to reach the governor.
The Buffalo Niagara Partnership, which represents 2,500 Western New York employers and usually supports the control board’s philosophy, urged the governor to veto the bill and another bill that would force the City of Buffalo’s state-appointed control board into a less aggressive advisory mode.
“The Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority has consistently demonstrated that it can save tax dollars in borrowing on behalf of Erie County due to its higher bond rating,” Andrew J. Rudnick, the Partnership’s president and chief executive, wrote in a letter to Paterson.
“Even absent this important cost savings, however, legislation shaping the fiscal future of Erie County should be based on facts and research, not on politics,” he said.
However, Comptroller Mark C. Poloncarz sent a letter telling Paterson that Erie County is turning the corner on its financial problems and that he should sign the legislation. “The county’s 2007 and 2008 capital programs have been placed in jeopardy by the failure to close a long-term borrowing,” Poloncarz wrote, adding later, “these programs include important public safety projects, as well as other projects that will improve our community.”
Meanwhile, a sponsor of the state legislation, Assemblyman Mark J. F. Schroeder, D-Buffalo, met with Erie County lawmakers Thursday and urged them to persuade the governor to approve the measure.
“Do anything you can do, collectively and individually,” Schroeder said. “I would say the major objective now is for this Legislature to weigh in and let the governor know that this is important.”
The County Legislature already has made its wishes known, after a bipartisan 13-1 vote urging the State Legislature to weaken the control board’s ability to block the county from borrowing money as needed.
Meanwhile, officials are selectively spending money on long-term improvements. The Legislature on Thursday authorized $26,400 to buy property to rebuild a section of Tonawanda Creek Road in Clarence buckled years ago by spring flooding.
