erie county legislature

In a day of complicated maneuvering, Erie County legislators killed a plan to refinance the debt of Erie County Medical Center, then sent back to committee a separate plan to borrow $100 million for the hospital using the county's credit rating. It was a day of attacks - some personal - and so much parliamentary maneuvering regarding the entangled finances of Erie County and ECMC even legislators were sometimes lost.

When the snow hits this weekend, town highway crews will be out plowing Erie County roads under a new contract approved Thursday by the County Legislature.

Many Erie County Legislature public hearings have few citizens in attendance, while a few draw a lot of people, like the upcoming hearing on the County Executive Poloncarz's proposed budget. Legislators want to try early evening meetings to draw larger crowds.

Three top Erie County leaders put away their political hatchets and, instead, put together a package of major changes in the county charter.

What looked like a fairly routine confirmation of a new Erie County commissioner of Central Police Services changed Wednesday. Legal paper work surfaced showing the nominee had been punished in 1999 for sexually-blatant language directed to a female employee of the Lackawanna Police Department.

The Erie County Legislature Wednesday passed an amended version of spending from last year's surplus. Money was allocated for programs combating lead poisoning and the opiate abuse epidemic and for staff buyouts at Erie Community College.

Youth sports coaches and managers in Erie County may soon be required to take a brief course on concussion awareness and safety. A proposal is on the table in the Erie County Legislature and, Thursday morning, lawmakers heard testimony from people who have front-line knowledge of concussion safety.

County legislators today will receive the recommendations from the Charter Revision Commission. The commission voted on several proposals Thursday night, including one that would extend legislative terms to four years.

The Erie County Legislature has approved  County Executive Poloncarz' plan to deal with the county's burgeoning death toll for opioid use and addiction.

An effort to save lives sparked a lengthy and heated discussion in Old Erie County Hall on Thursday.

Factions in the Erie County Legislature are arguing over how to do something about the problem of sports concussions among young people.

There is something of a Constitutional confrontation underway between Washington and Erie County regarding recently-passed bans on microbeads in personal care products.

After months of debate, Erie County legislators rejected a push to move bar closing hours back from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Should Erie County's bars be open until 4 a.m. or 2 a.m.? The two sides of that issue squared off Tuesday night during a County Legislature public hearing, debating for almost three hours.

Erie County legislators on Thursday refused to allow a vote on a proposal to cut back the county's drinking hours.

The Erie County Legislature committee session on Thursday heard from a police officer, doctor and county health commissioner. Then, it heard from two moms who buried sons and a suburban teacher who has attended 15 wakes for former students.

Erie County Legislature Democrats have a new leader, as members chose Amherst member Thomas Loughran as minority leader. Betty Jean Grant says she just couldn't get the votes for another year as party leader.

It was a busy day Thursday for the Erie County Legislature as it passed legislation to regulate pawn shops, supported earlier drinking hours on Sunday and asked Albany to require minimum staffing in hospitals and nursing homes.

Erie County lawmakers hosted a 90-minute meeting Thursday morning to gather information and address concerns about Syrian refugees that are expected to arrive in the near future.

The Erie County Legislature is likely to approve some new controls on pawn shops following a public hearing held Thursday.

“Quick and painless” is how legislators described the final approval process for the 2016 Erie County Budget. Residents can expect to see a decrease in taxes for the second year in a row and more funding for the fight against the county’s growing epidemic of drug abuse.