Press Releases: 02/28/08 Mills announces Additional Springville HEAP Outreach 02/28/08 Mills Announces Orchard Park HEAP Outreach 02/15/08 Mills Announces Springville HEAP Outreach 02/05/08 Bee Column 02/08 01/04/08 Mills announces HEAP outreach efforts

John J. Mills - District 13 August, 2007 Orchard Park Bee Column 8/07 Like many people, I have a "to do" list at home. The list includes many things that my wife and I would like to do around the house. The list includes repairs, landscaping and remodeling projects. Reviewing the list, there is no way that we have the time and money to accomplish all of the items on the list. So, my wife and I do what every other household in Western New York does – we prioritize our list. First, we determine which items are realistic and put the other items on a separate list. Then, we take care of the items that are absolutely necessary first and then focus on items that are more wants than needs. Just as every household prioritizes its "to do" list, Erie County needs to do a better job prioritizing its own list. Recently, the County Executive requested the legislature was to approve $250,000 for a study to evaluate the efficiency of our police services. The ultimate goal of the study was to determine if Erie County should regionalize its police services. Certainly, I am always on the lookout for projects to save the taxpayers of Erie County money. Further, the study would only determine if regionalization was appropriate; it would not mandate that regionalization would occur. I put the proposal through my formula to determine where funding this study should lie on the priorities list. First, I asked myself if the study was realistic. I determined that it was realistic to spend $250,000 on a study if the results could save far more money in the long run. However, it was not realistic to expect that communities would want to give up their local police forces to be replaced by officers with potentially no attachment to the community. It was not realistic for communities to expect Erie County to provide adequate police services, especially considering how lacking the County has been in funding safe and passable roads in many communities. Further, it was not realistic that Erie County could save money by operating a regional police force, especially considering the Erie County/City of Buffalo parks agreement, which costs taxpayers of Erie County $1.2 million every year, even though it was supposed to save them money. Funding this study was not realistic. It failed my priorities test. I would not vote to fund the study. Even though I had already decided to vote against the study, I tried to determine where the study would lie on the priority list if Erie County's track record had been better in the past. I would rather spend the money fixing roads. I would rather spend the money restoring Chestnut Ridge Park and Emery Park. I would rather spend the money attracting new jobs, businesses and tourists. I would rather not spend the money at all and let the taxpayers keep it in their own pockets. I could see that the study, even if it was realistic, would not lie very high on the priorities list for Erie County. Erie County government needs to get its priorities straight. It needs to provide basic services well. It needs to rebuild its roads. It needs to maintain its assets. It needs to provide for the present, plan for the future and learn from the past. It does not need to engage in academic exercises that are unwanted or unrealistic in scope. The study was ultimately funded, with little discussion or fanfare. Perhaps the majority thought that $250,000 was not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. My priorities told me otherwise. I would like to hear your thoughts on Erie County. Please contact me at my District Office, located at 431 Main Street in East Aurora. My telephone number is 655-5650. You can also reach me by email at jmills13@erie.gov. You can also visit my website at www.erie.gov/legislature/district13/index.asp. Back to District 13 Homepage