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 July 27, 2007 LEGISLATOR JOHN J. MILLS VOTES AGAINST FUNDING POLICE REGIONALISM STUDY (Erie County Legislature, Buffalo, New York) – During last Thursday's bi-monthly meeting of the Erie County Legislature, Legislator and Minority Leader John J. Mills led his caucus in voting against funding a $250,000 study proposed by the Giambra administration. The study, which will examine the delivery and funding of police services within Erie County, was up for consideration in the Legislature's Public Safety Committee on July 19, 2007. The item passed in the Public Safety Committee with a vote of 3-1, with Legislator Mills being the only member voting in the negative. Commenting on his vote, Mills said "I have spent enough time in local government to realize that studies like this rarely lead to constructive operational changes, and instead they just collect dust on a bookcase. I can think of better ways to spend taxpayer dollars… like repairing our roads and bridges." With a 3-1 vote in the Public Safety Committee, the item was recorded as a passed item in the committee's report, which requires the approval of the full Legislature at the session immediately following its first passage. That report was voted on by the entire Legislature on Thursday, July 26, 2007 during the Legislature's last session before their summer recess. Legislator Michael H. Ranzenhofer joined Legislator Mills in separating the item from the committee report in an attempt to vote it down. The item ended up successfully passing the full Legislature after the Republican Minority was unsuccessful in defeating it. "This item is not appropriate for Erie County right now. We are in the midst of a serious fiscal crisis. I don't need $250,000 to tell me that our local police officers and sheriffs are doing a great job under stressful circumstances. I need that money to repair a failed infrastructure in bad need of maintenance and reconstruction," said Legislator Mills. The item (13E-10-2007) has now officially been passed in committee and by a majority of the Legislature. The County Executive now has the authority to enter into a contract, not to exceed $250,000, with the International Chiefs of Police Association to conduct an examination of the funding and delivery of police services in Erie County. The study is understood to be an attempt on behalf of the administration to pursue their agenda of promoting initiatives related to achieving a more regional government. Legislator Mills explains that "regionalism can be good in some areas of government, if we move carefully on the appropriate issue at the appropriate time. Right now, regardless of what the study concludes, Erie County is not in a position to afford implementing such a change." Legislator Mills concluded his remarks on the subject by adding "if this money was destined for a law enforcement purpose, it would have been best spent putting 10 more sheriff's cars on the streets; spending funds on a study of this type is wasteful." Back to District 13 Homepage