County Executive Says Lawmakers Failed to Fully Restore Health Clinic Funding

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – Erie County lawmakers Tuesday restored funding for two Buffalo health clinics and boosted support to culturals. The legislature approved an amended budget for 2010 by a vote of twelve to three.

Click the audio player above to hear Joyce Kryszak's full story now or use your podcasting software to download it to your computer or iPod.

Lawmakers voted along party lines to reverse decisions by the Collins administration. His budget reduced cultural funding and eliminated health clinic services at two east side facilities. The amended budget, however, still holds the line on taxes. Legislature Chairwoman Lynn Marinelli said it is a balanced budget.

Lawmakers shifted about five million dollars in the budget by cutting some top administrative raises and by reducing the turnover account by three million dollars. Republican lawmaker Edward Rath III called it smoke and mirrors.

Erie County Executive Chris Collins also called the changes problematic. He said lawmakers did not even provide enough money in their amendments to actually keep the health clinics operating.

He said funding for union administrative workers at the clinics was restored, but not for doctors and dentists. Still, Collins said he might not veto the change. He said he might wait until January and appeal to the newly elected lawmakers to lay off the union workers at the clinics. Collins said he is optimistic that he can get bi-partisan support.

But outgoing finance committee Chairman Bob Reynolds said that giving that much power to the executive branch might not be wise. He said there were millions of dollars Collins did not account for in his budget proposal. Reynolds, who lost his re-election bid to a Collins-backed Republic candidate, said the public should be outraged by Collins' lack of transparency.

Collins has one week to veto any additions to the budget made by lawmakers. The legislature would need at least ten votes for an over ride. Budget reductions are not subject to veto.