Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced Thursday a new "Prosperity Plan" for 2023 that includes large investments to housing, snow removal, businesses, internet and emergency services.
Among the largest investments is a proposed $25 million to be invested into affordable housing, including $20 million towards new and rehabbed units, $1 million in HOME funds, $2.2 million into a housing rehabilitation program giving about 90 homeowners zero percent interest loans for repairs, and $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity projects.
Poloncarz highlighted the $20 million to new and rehabbed units by describing how $2 million will be used on four projects, including two in Hamburg, one in Angola, and one in Tonawanda. This will create a total of 187 new units and 119 rehabilitated units. The $20 million comes from unused American Rescue Plan funds.
As far as businesses, Poloncarz said the county invested $10 million last year, and plans to invest another $5 million this year, into the Storefront Revitalization Program.
Additionally, a local Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Business (SDVOB) law will be considered by the county legislature. Poloncarz told WBFO after the address that the local law would be modeled after the state's law, meaning that a goal would be set by the county to have a percentage of their contracts fulfilled by an SDVOB. New York State's law sets that goal at six percent. Poloncarz said the Bills stadium project has a similar goal.
In terms of emergency services, the county's Department of Emergency Medical Services plans to create its own ambulance service to address the shortage. The county already has approval from the state, and plans to purchase and staff five ambulances.
The county also plans to invest into equipment for emergencies, including two Oshkosh road blowers, 10 new high lifts, and increase the fleet of tracked vehicles. This would be a total investment of $5 million. The county also plans to purchase AEDs to distribute to community centers and organizations, including sports leagues and senior centers run by the county.
Regarding the sheriff's office, Poloncarz says the current holding center is "outdated, dangerous and expensive to staff and maintain." The county's plan would allocate $2.5 million to plan and build a new modern county holding center.
Poloncarz shared that Erie Net’s design is complete and construction will begin within weeks, which includes 400 miles of new broadband access. Poloncarz's plan also calls for the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library to get 253 new hotspots and 64 new Chromebook kits that can be checked out by residents and used anywhere.
The entire State of the County can be viewed below.
