[00:00:01] OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO SIT DOWN AND GET STARTED WITH OUR WORK SESSION TO GO OVER OUR AGENDA FOR SESSION NUMBER 18 OF THE ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATURE. TODAY IS OCTOBER 24, 2024. TODAY'S INVOCATION WILL BE LED BY LEGISLATOR GILMOUR. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WILL BE LED BY LEGISLATOR DUPRE. THERE ARE NO TABLED ITEMS. THERE ARE NO ITEMS FOR RECONSIDERATION FROM OUR PREVIOUS MEETING AND THE MINUTES FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING. [ MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: Meeting No. 17] NUMBER 17 WILL BE UP FOR APPROVAL. THERE ARE NO PUBLIC HEARINGS AT THIS TIME. WE HAVE ONE PRESENTATION FROM THE MINORITY CAUCUS AND MINORITY LEADER MILLS WILL BE DOING A PRESENTATION FOR THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS. [ MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTIONS:] CONTINUING ON WITH OUR AGENDA, MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTIONS ON PAGE ONE AND CONTINUED ON TO PAGE THREE ARE, AS INDICATED, LOCAL LAWS, LOCAL LAW. [ LOCAL LAWS:] INTRO 2-13 INCLUDING LOCAL LAW. INTRO 7-1 AS INDICATED. COMMITTEE REPORTS REPORT NUMBER 13 FROM THE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE. [ COMMITTEE REPORTS:] COMMITTEE CHAIR MYERS. ALL SET, MADAM CHAIR, THANK YOU. AND REPORT NUMBER 12 FROM THE FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE. COMMITTEE CHAIR KOOSHOIAN. THANK YOU. AND REPORT NUMBER 15 FROM THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. COMMITTEE CHAIR, GILMOUR. AND REPORT NUMBER 15 FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. COMMITTEE CHAIR GILMOUR. GREAT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTIONS. THERE ARE NONE AT THIS TIME. COMMUNICATIONS DISCHARGED FROM COMMITTEE. THERE ARE NONE AT THIS TIME. SUSPENSION OF THE RULES. [ SUSPENSION OF THE RULES:] COMMUNICATION 18E-39. REGARDING THE LEASE FOR THE LEGISLATIVE OFFICE SPACE OF LEGISLATOR KOOSHOIAN AND THEN COMMUNICATION. THIS IS A SUSPENSION AND WE HAVE A SUSPENSION TO EXCUSE THE ABSENCE OF LEGISLATIVE BARGNESI FROM SESSION NUMBER 17 THAT WILL BE SUSPENDED IN COMMUNICATIONS FROM ELECTED OFFICIALS. [ COMMUNICATIONS FROM ELECTED OFFICIALS:] COMMUNICATION 18E-1 THIRD, INCLUDING COMMUNICATION 18E-16 AS INDICATED. COMMUNICATION 18E-17 AND COMMUNICATION 18E-18 AS INDICATED. COMMUNICATION 18-19. REGARDING AN OMNIBUS REAPPROPRIATION OF THE ARPA FUNDING IS UP FOR IMMEDIATE CONSIDERATION, AND WE HAVE MEMBERS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. I SEE MARK CORNELL IS THERE. YOU CAN STAY THERE, MARK, AND JUST TURN ON YOUR MICROPHONE AND LET US KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY WE ARE REAPPROPRIATING THESE ARPA FUNDS AND WHAT THEY'RE GOING TOWARDS. ABSOLUTELY. SO AS YOU ARE AWARE, THERE'S AN IMPENDING DEADLINE REGARDING THE OBLIGATION OF ARPA FUNDS AT THE END OF THIS YEAR. WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS ON TRACKING THEIR AWARDS OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS OR SO. AND WE'RE GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S BECOME CLEAR THAT SOME PROJECTS HAVE HAD ADDITIONAL FUNDING. THAT HAS BEEN UNALLOCATED AT THIS POINT FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. SO WHAT WE ARE PLANNING TO DO HERE IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL THE ARPA DOLLARS ARE FULLY OBLIGATED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, WHICH IS THE DEADLINE, OR ELSE THAT MONEY HAS TO GO BACK TO THE TREASURY. AND AS SUCH, WE ARE THEN REORGANIZING TO SUPPLANT SOME OTHER PAYGO FUNDING TO MOVE BACK INTO A FEW OF THOSE PROJECTS. SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS APPROXIMATELY $1.7 MILLION OF ARPA REVENUE REPLACEMENT FUNDING FROM TWO DIFFERENT PARKS, EXPANDED CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT HAD A NUMBER OF PROJECTS INSIDE OF IT. THE TWO SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT ENDED UP WITH FUNDS THAT COULD NOT BE FULLY OBLIGATED AT THIS POINT. ONE OF THEM WAS A CHARGING STATION PROJECT THAT WAS JUST COMPLETED WITH SOME FUNDING REMAINING, AND THE SECOND IS RELATED TO THE WENDT BEACH MANSION AND STABLE RECONSTRUCTION RENOVATION PROJECT. WHAT WE ARE PLANNING TO DO IS MOVE FUNDING FROM THOSE TWO ARPA PROJECTS DIRECTLY INTO SEVERAL OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE READY TO GO RIGHT NOW. AND YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THOSE RESOLUTIONS ALREADY CLOCKED IN THAT WILL GO TO COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK SPECIFIC TO THOSE. THOSE WOULD BE COMMUNICATION 18E-20 18E-21 AND 18E-30. THOSE ARE RELATED TO THE ISLE VIEW ENHANCEMENT PROJECT. THERE IS AN AGRIBUSINESS PARK PROJECT AND THE WENDT BEACH MANSION AND STABLE PROJECT. THE ULTIMATE RESULT OF THIS IS THAT NONE OF THESE ARE NEW PROJECTS. NONE OF THIS IS NEW MONEY. THIS IS JUST A REORGANIZATION OF EXISTING DOLLARS, TO BE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO FULLY OBLIGATE THESE DOLLARS BASED ON THE [00:05:02] REQUIREMENTS OF THE US TREASURY BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR, SO THAT WE AREN'T IN ANY DANGER OF LOSING ANY OF THESE FUNDS. GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE ONLY PROJECT THAT IS ADDING FUNDING TO IT WOULD BE THE ISLE VIEW PARK ENHANCEMENT PROJECT, AND THAT IS APPROXIMATELY $500,000 OF ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THAT PROJECT WITH EXISTING DOLLARS AND. DID I MISS WHERE YOU SAID WHAT PROJECTS WEREN'T THIS MONEY WAS BEING PULLED FROM? YEAH. SO ONE OF THEM IS THERE WAS A CHARGING STATION PROJECT WITHIN THE PARKS. THERE WAS SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT WERE UNEXPENDED. THERE ARE A FEW OTHER CLEANUP ITEMS HERE WHERE A FEW OF THE OTHER PARKS PROJECTS HAD A FEW. YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO SAY GENERALLY NICKELS AND DIMES, BUT A SMALL AMOUNT OF REMAINING FUNDS LEFT IN THOSE PROJECTS, WHETHER IT'S $1,000, $2,000, THINGS LIKE THAT. THE MAIN ONE IS RELATED TO THE WHITE MANSION PROJECT. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COMMISSIONER SCHINZEL IS HERE IF HE WANTS TO DISCUSS IT A LITTLE FURTHER TODAY. HOWEVER, HE WILL BE HERE NEXT WEEK WITH HIS RESOLUTION COME 18E-30 TO TALK MORE IN DEPTH OF WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THAT PROJECT, BECAUSE THEY ARE LOOKING TO ENTER INTO CONTRACT FOR A LESSER AMOUNT THAN THEY HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN APPROPRIATED. SO REALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS WE HAVE THREE SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT ARE READY TO GO RIGHT NOW, THAT WE CAN ENTER INTO CONTRACTS RIGHT NOW TO BE ABLE TO OBLIGATE THOSE DOLLARS SO THAT WE'RE NOT IN DANGER OF LOSING THEM AT THE END OF THE YEAR. ON THE QUESTION. LEGISLATIVE MILLS. YES. MADAM CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO, IF IT'S ALRIGHT WITH YOU, BRING TROY UP HERE TO EXPLAIN A LITTLE MORE THAN WHAT [INAUDIBLE] PROJECT. IT'S A LITTLE UNCLEAR TO ME, EXACTLY. YOU'RE WELCOME, SIR. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. IT'S ALWAYS AN HONOR TO BE HERE, AND I WANT TO START OFF BY THANKING BUDGET DIRECTOR CORNELL AND CHIEF PLANNER MARK ROUNTREE FROM DEP. MR. CORNELL HAS BEEN EXTREMELY HELPFUL NAVIGATING THIS SORT OF TRICKY SITUATION WITH ARPA FUNDS, BUT I THINK IT'S A GREAT PLAN. AND BASICALLY WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS WE'VE SPENT OR OBLIGATED 70% OF THE FUNDING ARPA FUNDING FOR WENDT MANSION AND STABLES. INSTEAD OF LOSING THAT AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO REALLOCATE THAT TO PROJECTS THAT ARE SHOVEL READY AND READY TO GO, AND THEN GET REFUNDED THOSE FUNDS THAT WE DON'T HAVE TIMELINES ON. SO NEXT WEEK, I'LL BE IN FRONT OF YOU ASKING TO AWARD, A CONTRACT FOR $3.2 MILLION FOR CONSTRUCTION ON THE WENDT MANSION. WE'RE A LITTLE DELAYED IN THE PROJECT SIMPLY BECAUSE ORIGINALLY, WHEN WE GOT $5.8 MILLION, WE WE HIRED A CONSULTANT, AND WE WANTED TO NOT DO ANY WORK ON THE BUILDING THAT WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO HAVE A FUTURE USE. OBVIOUSLY, IF WE'RE GOING TO DO SOME CONSTRUCTION IN THE BUILDING, WE DON'T WANT SOMEONE EVENTUALLY COMING TO US AS A THIRD PARTY TO RUN A BUSINESS AT WENDT MANSION, AND WE'RE DOING WORK TODAY THAT WOULD STOP OR POTENTIALLY COST MORE FOR A FUTURE POTENTIAL USE. UNFORTUNATELY, THROUGH THAT RFP PROCESS, WE GOT NO BIDDERS. SO INSTEAD OF RISKING LOSING OUR FUNDING, WE SAID, LET'S START DOING WORK ON THE BUILDING THAT WILL RENOVATE THE STRUCTURE, BUT NOT HANDICAP US IN TERMS OF LIMITING FUTURE USE OF THE BUILDING. SO WE DID A CORNSHELL BID AND IT'LL REPLACE THE ROOF, WINDOWS, DOORS, SIDING SOME HVAC, BUT IT WILL NOT LIMIT US IN TERMS OF FUTURE USE OF THE BUILDING, BUT START MAKING RENOVATIONS TO THE BUILDING IN ANY WAY THAT WE NEEDED TO DO. SO IT'S JUST AND THEN THE PLAN IS AFTER HOPEFULLY WE GET THE APPROVAL TO AWARD THAT CONTRACT, WORK BEGINS ON THE BUILDING, WE WILL GO ON AN RFP AGAIN TO LOOK FOR VENDORS, THIRD PARTIES TO RUN OPERATIONS OUT AT WENDT MANSION, WENDT BEACH. HOPEFULLY WITH THEM SEEING THAT ERIE COUNTY IS COMMITTED TO RENOVATING THAT BUILDING AND THAT STRUCTURE AND THAT PROPERTY. HOPEFULLY WE GET SOME RFP REVIEW AND THEN WE'LL HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO WORK ON THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING. SO, TROY, ARE WE LOOKING TO LEASE A PROPERTY TO BUILD? YEAH, IDEALLY LEGISLATOR IDEALLY THROUGH THE MASTER PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS. AND WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF LIKE THE STATE PARKS DO HAVE SOME SORT OF BUSINESS OPERATION OUT AT WENDT MANSION, WHETHER IT'S BED AND BREAKFAST, WHETHER THAT'S YOU KNOW ROOMS. [00:10:06] SO PART OF THE RFP PROCESS, THEY DID A STUDY IN THE AREA, AND THEY DID A COST ANALYSIS AND A MARKET ANALYSIS OF THAT AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS TO COME UP WITH SOME IDEAS. SO WE'RE TRYING TO TARGET SOME POTENTIAL BIDDERS OR VENDORS TO RUN IN OPERATION AT THE WENDT MANSION AND THE BUILDING. SO WHAT'S YOUR TIMELINE? WELL IF THE RESOLUTION NEXT WEEK FOR 3.2 TO DO THE CORNSHELL BEGINS, THAT'S 2025. THAT WORK WILL HAPPEN ALL THROUGH 2025 TO PROTECT THE BUILDING AND MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE BUILDING. THE TIMELINE FOR BIDDING FOR A THIRD PARTY TO RUN IT OR LEASE IT WILL BE PROBABLY THE SPRING OF 2025. WE'LL PUT ANOTHER RFP OUT HOPING THAT, LIKE I SAID, THEY SEE THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO RENOVATING THAT STRUCTURE. AND IT'S A BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE, BEAUTIFUL GROUNDS. YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE LEGISLATURE AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN SOCIAL MEDIA AND DRAW UP SOME SUPPORT FOR GETTING SOMEONE TO COME UP WITH SOME IDEAS AND SCORE IT ACCORDINGLY. SO WE HAVE SOME SORT OF OPERATION OUT THERE. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. ON THE QUESTION LORIGO. THANK YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION, AND MAYBE IT'S FOR [INAUDIBLE] OR FOR MARK. SO ORIGINALLY WE HAD $14.4 MILLION. IT LOOKS LIKE WE SPENT 8.4, SO THERE'S REALLY 6 MILLION OUTSTANDING. SO THIS IS ONLY DEALING WITH A PORTION OF THAT. SO I KNOW YOU HAVE OTHER RESOLUTIONS COMING ACROSS THE STREET, BUT WHERE ARE THESE PROJECTS AND WHY AREN'T THEY GETTING DONE. BECAUSE IF WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THIS MONEY IS ALLOCATED LIKE WHERE THE STATUS OF THESE PROJECTS AND WHERE'S THE MONEY GOING? FIRST THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT DEADLINES THAT WHERE WERE HAVING TO DEAL WITH AT DIFFERENT PERIODS OF TIME. THE FIRST DEADLINE IS THE OBLIGATION. DEADLINE THAT IS TO ENCUMBER THE DOLLARS. WE HAVE A SECONDARY DEADLINE OF DECEMBER 31, 2026 TO ACTUALLY FULLY EXPEND ALL OF THOSE DOLLARS. WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS GETTING EVERY ONE OF THOSE DOLLARS OBLIGATED, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS ENCUMBERED IN AN ACTUAL CONTRACT TO STILL BE SPENT. WE STILL HAVE TWO YEARS AND TWO MONTHS TO SPEND ALL OF THOSE DOLLARS. SO AND I GUESS YOU KIND OF ANSWERED MY QUESTION THERE BECAUSE I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE THIS MONEY ALREADY DESIGNATED FOR PROJECTS, BUT IT'S NOT BEING SPENT BECAUSE THERE AREN'T CONTRACTS WITH THE PROBLEM. THAT'S THE DISTINCTION WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT OBLIGATIONS. CORRECT. THE ACCORDING TO THE TREASURY. AND APPROPRIATION IS NOT AN OBLIGATION. AN ENCUMBRANCE IS AN OBLIGATION. SO WHEN THE LEGISLATURE APPROVES THE PROJECT AND THEN THAT MONEY GETS PUT INTO A CAPITAL PROJECT OR RESERVED, SOMEHOW THAT DOES NOT COUNT AS AN OBLIGATION ACCORDING TO THE TREASURY, WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT LOCKED IN AN ACTUAL CONTRACT. SO WHEN YOU GET THE RESOLUTION THAT IS LOOKING TO AWARD A CONTRACT, THAT'S THE THING THAT IS ACTUALLY OBLIGATING THE DOLLARS, NOT THE ORIGINAL CHOICE TO APPROPRIATE HOWEVER MUCH MONEY AND SET IT ASIDE. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT. AND THEN IS THERE I MEAN, DO WE HAVE A PULSE ON IF THERE'S ANY OTHER MONEY THAT'S OUTLINED THAT WE DON'T HAVE OBLIGATED THAT WE NEED TO ADJUST? YES. IT'S SOMETHING THAT I ACTUALLY GO THROUGH GREAT PAINS TO KEEP TRACK OF. WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF OUR QUARTERLY COMPLIANCE REPORTING. SO I'M NOT COMPLETED WITH IT BECAUSE OCTOBER IS A PRETTY BUSY MONTH TO WORK ON THAT. AS OF RIGHT NOW AND I STILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF WORK TO DO WITH SEWERS. BECAUSE THEY GOT A SIGNIFICANT PORTION. BUT THE COUNTY RECEIVED $178.5 MILLION. RIGHT NOW, I SEE AS OF THIS THIRD QUARTER COMPLIANCE REPORT. SO WE STILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOME CHOICES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE OR MOVEMENT THAT HAS OCCURRED CURRENTLY THAT WOULDN'T COUNT IN THIS REPORT. WE HAVE $155 MILLION FULLY OBLIGATED AND A $136.2 MILLION FULLY EXPENDED AT THIS POINT. THE GOAL, OBVIOUSLY, IS TO HAVE THE OBLIGATED $178.5 MILLION. AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT THIS RESOLUTION IS ABOUT. CERTAINLY A LARGE CHUNK OF MONEY IS GOING TO BE OBLIGATED IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE INCLUDING THE $3.2 MILLION THAT I CAN'T COUNT AS OBLIGATED BECAUSE PARKS HAS NOT ENTERED INTO CONTRACT YET. FOR [INAUDIBLE] MANAGEMENT. CAN WE GET A HARD NUMBER ON HOW MUCH IS NOT OBLIGATED SO FAR? [00:15:02] COULD YOU PROVIDE THAT TO US? YEAH. I MEAN, LITERALLY RIGHT NOW THIS AGAIN, I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS REPORTING. SO THIS IS GOING TO MOVE A LITTLE BIT. BUT THE HARD NUMBER THAT I HAVE AS OF TODAY IS 154 MILLION OF $843,820.44 HAS BEEN OBLIGATED. I HAVE A MEETING TOMORROW WITH SEWERS, ABOUT A COUPLE ITEMS WHERE I THINK THEY MAY HAVE ABOUT 3 MILLION MORE THAT IS OBLIGATED, BUT I JUST HAVE TO CONFIRM WITH THEM. SO RIGHT NOW THAT IS $12.7 MILLION THAT IS UNOBLIGATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH. OKAY. I MEAN, WE NEED TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT GETS OBLIGATED BY THE END OF THE YEAR. SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHERE THESE PROJECTS ARE. I KNOW THERE'S SOME IN PARKS. SO WHAT'S THE HOLDUP? AND WE NEED TO MOVE ON THIS QUICKLY. SO I THINK WE CAN GET THAT PART NUMBER AND FIGURE OUT WHERE THAT MONEY IS, AND GIVE THAT REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE SO THAT WE'RE INFORMED. THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT AND HELPFUL. THANK YOU. SO WHAT IS THE REASON YOU WERE COMING BEFORE THE BODY NEXT WEEK DURING COMMITTEES? WELL, JUST SLOWLY EXPLAIN THE ACTION. TODAY YOU ARE ASKING FOR IMMEDIATE CONSIDERATION TO ENTER INTO CONTRACTS. SO WHY WOULD THE COMMISSIONER COME BACK NEXT WEEK? THIS RESOLUTION TODAY ISN'T ASKING FOR AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO ANY OF THE CONTRACTS. THIS IS THE SETUP RESOLUTION TO MOVE THE MONEY INTO THE APPROPRIATE PROJECTS. BEFORE ASKING NEXT WEEK YOU'RE GOING TO BRING THE CONTRACT BEFORE US. EXACTLY. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARITY. ALL RIGHT. IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, THIS ITEM WILL BE OPEN FOR A VOTE LATER TODAY. COMMUNICATION 18E-20 THROUGH AND INCLUDING COMMUNICATION 18E-31 AS INDICATED. COMMUNICATION 18E-32. THROUGH AND INCLUDING COMMUNICATION 18E-38 AS INDICATED. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE DEPARTMENTS. [ COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE DEPARTMENTS:] COMMUNICATION 18D-1 THROUGH AND INCLUDING COMMUNICATION 18D-4 AS INDICATED. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PEOPLE AND OTHER AGENCIES. [ COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PEOPLE AND OTHER AGENCIES:] COMMUNICATION 18M-1 THROUGH AND INCLUDING COMMUNICATION 18M-4 AS INDICATED. ANY OTHER COMMENTS CONCERNS? OKAY. WE WILL RECONVENE AT 12 NOON FOR OUR FORMAL SESSION. THANK YOU ALL. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.