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 May, 2006 John's thoughts on making County Government Work The 13th District of the Erie County Legislature is a district with many different interests. We are a tourist destination and a great place to live. We have industry as well as recreation. We are agricultural as well as residential. We are an important asset to Western New York and full of hard-working people. Since 1977, our population has grown, while the population of the cities in Erie County has shrunk. Because our population is growing, it makes sense that it costs more to provide essential services to our residents. It also follows that the cities would spend less on essential services. Despite the changes in population, Erie County, its cities and its towns are currently bound by an agreement to share the county portion of the sales tax whereby the cities receive a larger share of the revenue per capita than the towns. This agreement was entered into by Erie County and its cities, not its towns, in 1977. Because the agreement ignores the needs of Erie County's shifting population for essential services, the agreement needs to be re-evaluated. The 1977 agreement is also flawed because the sales tax revenue was supposed to be distributed to the towns to reduce your Erie County property taxes. Instead, the money has gone directly to your town governments. Although our towns provide many valuable services, the agreement has not been obeyed. I am co-sponsoring a resolution to eliminate the 1977 agreement and develop a new agreement that distributes revenues more equitably and in a fashion beneficial to taxpayers. It is time to eliminate the 1977 agreement and craft an agreement that is fair to cities, fair to the towns and fair to the taxpayers of Erie County. I am also co-sponsoring a resolution to address Health Department Permit Fees. In the past, municipalities and certain non-profit groups did not have to pay a fee to secure a health permit for public events. Unfortunately, this exemption was eliminated when the county put itself into a fiscal crisis. I want to renew this exemption. It is wrong for the county to charge its towns for health permits. The county exists to serve the residents of Erie County. By charging the towns for a permit, the county is merely shifting the tax burden from the county to towns. As such, the taxpayers will still ultimately pay for the permit, but an additional layer of bureaucracy is created to administer the fees. Further, charging certain non-profit groups for health permits creates an additional burden for these groups. The special events offered by these groups provide a valuable service to the community, frequently create revenue for local merchants and are a tremendous asset to the residents of Erie County. Rather than discouraging groups from providing opportunities, we should encourage opportunities for the people of Erie County, especially when the cost to the county is minimal and the benefit is large. As you know from reading the newspapers and watching the news, these are just two of the many issues that your Erie County Legislature is addressing. As your representative in the Erie County Legislature, I want your input. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or comments. My telephone number is 655-5650. Or, stop by the district office located at 431 Main Street, East Aurora. I look forward to hearing from you. Back to District 13 Homepage