May, 2007

Borrowing for ECC Downtown Campus is a Bad Idea

As I reported to you two months ago in March, the County Executive was seeking to secure $15 million for the development of an expanded Erie Community College downtown city campus.

Well, by an 11-4 vote of the Erie County Legislature on April 19, 2007, members of the Legislature decided that Erie County should borrow $20 million over the next two years that includes $3 million for improvements at the North and South campuses and $17 million which would be borrowed next year for a new campus and parking facility downtown.

This decision by the Legislature, if approved by the Erie County Control Board, once again, fails to address the issue of unbridled spending while ignoring the needs of the students at the current campuses. Erie County still faces many financial challenges, and the administration continues to borrow and spend without limits.

As stated by the Erie County Comptroller, the project cost will not stop at $17 million. The downtown ECC expansion project will cost the County a significant amount of money, and it will impact the County's annual debt service costs. The Comptroller also points out that even with state aid, the county projects a master plan reconstruction cost of more than $70 million. The Legislature should be paying attention to his warnings against excessive borrowing and continuing bonding.

As your legislator, I am also concerned that there is disparity between $3 million being spent for two suburban campuses where 80% of the students are enrolled and $17 million for a new downtown campus and parking facility where 20% attend. The County Executive has fought during his term of office for a consolidated downtown campus leaving many concerns that Erie Community College's campuses in Amherst and Orchard Park will be neglected.

The bottom line is that Erie County taxpayers cannot afford additional increases to the 2007 Capital budget for a new downtown campus that serves just 20% of the student population.

It is my hope that the Control Board will put the brakes on this misdirected spending spree for a new city school building and parking lot.

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