August 14, 2007

LEGISLATOR RANZENHOFER CALLS FOR THE REGNEGOTIATION OR TERMINATION OF THE ERIE COUNTY/CITY of BUFFALO PARKS AGREEMENT

(Erie County Legislature – Buffalo, New York) Erie County Legislators John J. Mills, Michael H. Ranzenhofer, Barry A. Weinstein, MD, and Cynthia Locklear met with the media, interested members of the public and local Municipal Park and Recreation officials on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 at 1:00pm in Chestnut Ridge Park. The Legislators primary purpose for meeting was to announce their support for the re-negotiation or termination of the City of Buffalo/County of Erie Parks Agreement (the agreement). The agreement refers to two documents that were signed on July 1, 2004 that officially gave the County of Erie operational control of the City of Buffalo Parks System.

The first agreement was the Inter-Municipal Cooperation Agreement for Operation, Management, and Improvement of City of Buffalo Parkland. The second agreement, although similar in content, was between the County of Erie and the Buffalo Olmstead Parks Conservancy and it provided for the management of Olmstead Parks.

Legislators Mills, Ranzenhofer, Weinstein, and Locklear are calling on the administration to renegotiate both agreements in a way that the county "breaks even" financially. "When we entered into this agreement in 2004 it was made very clear to the Legislature that Erie County would break even, and that didn't happen. This agreement is now costing upwards of $1.2 million a year," said Legislator Weinstein. Legislator Mills added "if the administration is unable to renegotiate this agreement in a way that honors its original intent, we need to start the process of terminating it."

Legislator Mills, Ranzenhofer, Weinstein, and Locklear co-sponsored a resolution on February 13, 2007 that resolved to ask the administration to re-negotiate the parks agreement or terminate it. This resolution is Intro. 4-3, and it was directed to the Energy & Environment Committee for consideration at the February 15, 2007 meeting of the Erie County Legislature. "This item remains languishing in the Energy and Environment Committee and has not been given any consideration at all," said Legislator Ranzenhofer.

As the Legislature's leadership refuses to act on this needed reform the Erie County Park's System is deteriorating. County Parks are plagued with tall grass, peeling paint, broken windows, leaky shelters, and closed facilities. Legislator Mills wanted to clarify that this wasn't and issue about poor management. He said "the park system is being managed well. The employees are doing a great job. This isn't about poor management; it's about a lack of resources. Every county parks official is being asked to do his or her job with less, and its starting to take a toll on the system." Legislator Locklear points out that for districts such as hers, that don't have a city or county park and whose only tangible county assets are county roads and bridges, continuing under the current agreement which is hemorrhaging county taxpayer money is not an option.

On August 16, 2006 the Erie County Comptroller's Office released an audit and review of the operating financial reports of the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry's City of Buffalo Parks Division. In that audit the Comptroller's Office clarified that in 2005 the agreement cost the County of Erie $700,000 more than was budgeted. In 2006, the agreement cost County of Erie taxpayers $1.2 million more than was budgeted. "The parks agreement is turning out to be incredibly expensive for Erie County Taxpayers. If the County is spending more on parks management they are devoting fewer resources to enhancing and improving the parklands," said Legislator Weinstein.

The Legislators favor a termination of the agreement all together, but would like their resolution that calls for a re-negotiation of the agreement brought up for a vote at the next session of the Legislature. Specifically, that resolution calls for a renegotiation of the agreement that addresses the audit's concerns involving the establishment of oversight committees, the timing of contractual payments to the County by the City, fuel usage and cost, utility bill management, delineating and clarifying each entity's respective responsibilities and obligations in a manner that resolves the county's responsibility to the agreement but does not exceed the budgeted and agreed cost, so that the county "breaks even," financially, in the application of the new agreement. Legislator Mills stated that "it is time for County and City leaders to sit together and to decide whether or not the agreement is worthwhile anymore. The City of Buffalo Common Council has already made it clear that they want their parks back."

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