July 16, 2008

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION YIELDS RESULTS FOR TAXPAYERS

As your county legislator, I am committed to effectively communicating the needs of the district I represent to higher levels of government. A full 88% percent of the services county government provides are mandated by the state and federal governments, leaving a governing margin of only 12% for local discretion. This fact makes relationship building with the elected officials who represent us in Congress and the State Legislature all the more important. I often act as a conduit of information between our local town boards and our state and federal elected officials, thereby serving as "the eyes and ears" for the representatives who, out of necessity, spend so much time in Albany and Washington.

A recent example is the County Legislature's unanimous approval of nearly $50,000 in Homeland Security Grant funding from the New York State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) on behalf of the Erie County Department of Emergency Services.

This project calls for collaboration between the Department of Workforce Development at Erie Community College (ECC) and K-12 school volunteers who will be trained to serve as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members for the county's community preparedness program. It requires the cooperation of local government, working in tandem with local school districts, assisted by our local community college - together making the most of this investment of public resources.

This Homeland Security Grant is fully funded by higher levels of government, but, I can assure my constituents that Erie County will receive tremendous benefits without shouldering a local fiscal impact. ECC will administer, coordinate and train CERT members at no expense to local taxpayers.

Our representatives in Washington and Albany - including Congressman Brian Higgins, State Senator William Stachowski and Assemblyman Mark Schroeder - are our "eyes and ears" in their respective capitols and make every effort to alert local officials to the availability of grant monies. They also provide messages of support for our funding applications, thereby demonstrating intergovernmental communication and collaboration to potential funders.

We in government realize that the taxpayers want their interests protected and advanced in all policy matters. This goal is best accomplished through continual, open communication among all levels of government - municipal, county, state and federal. I am pleased to play the role of communicator on behalf of my constituents.

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