WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2009

COUNTY LEGISLATURE BUDGET COMMITTEE QUESTIONS ADMINISTRATION ON CULTURAL FUNDING PROPOSALS

The Erie County Legislature Finance, Management and Budget Committee focused its discussions on the budgets and funding process for cultural organizations through the Department of Environment and Planning during Wednesday's hearings on the proposed 2010 county budget.

"We expressed concern about first-time cultural funding applicants who, despite their scores, were denied funding. We have specific instances, including the Music Is Art Foundation, which received a score of 84.17 from ECCRAB, but received no funding because its leaders were told it was a new applicant," Legislator Robert B. Reynolds, Chair of the Finance, Management and Budget Committee, said. "We are also concerned that the administration has not submitted the report required by the Erie County Charter related to the cultural funding process and the decisions made through that process."

Legislator Betty Jean Grant questioned Department of Environment and Planning officials as to why the majority of the groups who received funding decreases were minority-based organizations.

The commissioner and chair of ECCRAB are being officially requested by the committee to return to the hearings when the cultural organizations are scheduled to discuss their budgets with the committee at 1 p.m. Friday, October 30.

The committee schedule for Thursday, October 29, is: 9-10 a.m., Public Works; 10-11 a.m., Parks, Recreation and Forestry; 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Department of Social Services; 1:30-2 p.m., Senior Services; 2-2:30 p.m., Personnel; 2:30-3 p.m., Labor Relations.

All budget hearings and presentations are open to the public and will be held in the County Legislature Chambers on the Fourth Floor of 92 Franklin Street in Buffalo.

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