[00:00:03] ALL RIGHT, [PUBLIC SAFETY] GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO MEETING NUMBER SEVEN OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. CLERK, PLEASE TAKE THE ROLL. YES, REPRESENTATIVE GREEN? HERE. TODARO? HERE. DUPREE? PRESENT. GILMORE? HERE. A QUORUM, PRESENT. ALL RIGHT, ON PAGE ONE, ITEMS ONE THROUGH THREE WILL BE TABLED UNDER MY AUTHORITY AS CHAIR. ITEM FOUR WILL BE RECEIVED AND FILED UNDER MY AUTHORITY AS CHAIR. ITEM NUMBER FIVE, COMMUNICATION 10E-15 IS AN ACTUAL ITEM. IT'S UP FOR APPROVAL. DAN, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. GOOD MORNING. WE'RE SEEKING THIS MORNING THE LEGISLATURE'S APPROVAL TO ACCEPT OUR FISCAL YEAR 23-24 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TARGETED GRANT AS WELL AS OUR 23 TECHNICAL AND URBAN RESCUE GRANT PROGRAM PROVIDED TO US BY THE STATE ON QUESTION MOTION APPROVED PROPER SECOND ALL IN FAVOR ANY OPPOSED MOTION CARRIES ALL RIGHT, MOVING ON TO PAGE TWO, ITEMS SIX AND SEVEN ARE ACTIONABLE. ITEM EIGHT WILL BE TABLED UNDER MY FIRST CHAIR. SO ITEM NUMBER SIX, COMMUNICATION 10E-16. DAN? YES. WE'RE AGAIN SEEKING APPROVAL FOR A GRANT THAT WE APPLIED FOR. THIS IS ON BEHALF OF CENTRAL POLICE SERVICES. IT'S THE COMBINED 24 AND 25 AND 26. IT'S THE ESINET READINESS PROGRAM THROUGH NEW YORK STATE. CENTRAL POLICE SERVICES WILL BE USING THIS. WE'RE THE FIDUCIARY ON THIS, AS WE ARE WITH ALL OF THE GRANTS. IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS WITH REGARDS TO THAT, I'VE BROUGHT MY BROTHER COMMISSIONER ALONG WITH ME. GOT IT. LUCY? THANKS. COULD YOU JUST WALK US THROUGH WHAT EXACTLY THIS WILL BE USED FOR? I SEE IT'S ESI NET READINESS PROGRAM, BUT COULD YOU JUST TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT IS? YES, GOOD MORNING TO EVERYBODY. YES, THE STATE IS LAYING FIBER FOR ALL 9-11 COMMUNICATIONS TO GO THROUGH THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE. EVERY COUNTY, 61 OUT OF THE 62 COUNTIES IN NEW YORK STATE ALL RECEIVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY. THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO TAKE ABOUT FIVE YEARS, BUT BASICALLY ALL 9-11 WILL RUN THROUGH THIS FIBER. THEY'RE GIVING US THE $689,000 TO SET UP TWO LOCATIONS IN OUR COUNTY, ONE BEING 45 ALLEN STREET, THE OTHER ONE BEING 3359 BROADWAY. AND THIS MONEY IS BEING SPENT TO SET THAT INFRASTRUCTURE UP THAT WILL FEED INTO THE FIBER THAT'S GOING TO BE RUNNING THROUGHOUT THE STATE FOR 9-11 COMMUNICATIONS EXCLUSIVELY. SO RIGHT NOW, WHAT IS OUR 9-11 COMMUNICATIONS RUNNING ON? IS IT LIKE VERIZON? YEAH, SO CURRENTLY IT'S A COMBINATION OF THINGS. THE 911 CENTER IS, THERE'S FIBER FOR REDUNDANCY, THERE'S DEDICATED T1 LINES, THERE'S ALSO MICROWAVE RELAYS BACK AND FORTH. PARTICULAR FUNDING ALONG WITH NOT ONLY THE STATE BUT EERIENET WILL ALLOW US TO BE ABLE TO PUSH THE COMMUNICATIONS AND UPGRADE THE COMMUNICATIONS TO EVERY MUNICIPALITY, EVERY PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT. SO THIS IS ACTUALLY A PART OF THE OVERALL BIG PICTURE WHERE WE'RE EXPANDING OUT AT THE FIRE ACADEMY TO HAVE A TRUE 24-7 BACKUP 911 SYSTEM. THAT'S 3359 BROADWAY AS WELL AS DOWNTOWN. IT'S THE UPDATE AND THE REFRESHING OF HARDWARE, AND AS WE LOOK FOR GRANTS AND WE... COLLABORATE WITH ONE ANOTHER. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS FIND, YOU KNOW, PARTIAL FUNDING HAS TO COME FROM THE COUNTY, BUT ALSO THIS ADDITIONAL FUNDING HERE GIVES US A CHANCE TO REDEDICATE ANY POTENTIAL FUNDS THAT WE WOULD ASK FROM THE COUNTY TO THE MUCH BIGGER PROJECT. SO THIS IS ACTUALLY TO ENHANCE PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINTS, THE INDIVIDUAL ONES, BUT AS WELL AS THE TWO PRIMARIES, WHICH IS 45L AND 3359 BROADWAY. SO YOU HIT KIND OF WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THIS WHEN I WAS READING THROUGH THIS. I SEE WE HAVE... RESOLUTION ON LATER ABOUT YOUR NET THAT WE'LL DISCUSS IF WE HOW INTERTWINED ARE THESE SO IF WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS DO WE NEED TO HOOK INTO ERIE NET OR IS THIS TIGHT YEAH SO ERIE NET WE'VE DONE WHAT WE'VE DESIGNED WITH ALL OF OUR TOWER SITES AGAIN FOR THAT REDUNDANCY AND TO HOPEFULLY COMPLETELY EVENTUALLY ELIMINATE THE COSTS OF TRANSMITTING PUSH-TO-TALK TECHNOLOGY THIS IN PARTICULAR IS NOT THE PUSH-TO-TALK THIS IS THE 911 CALLS AND THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY ANSWER THOSE WITH THE LATEST IN THE NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT'S GOING TO BE INSTALLED SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS THE FINAL MILE FOR OUR TOWERS, WHICH IS IN SOME CASES THE EDGE OF THE ROAD TO THE TOWERS THE EQUIPMENT THAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT THAT AT A MUNICIPALITY TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THE 911 CALLS TO INTERFACE THAT WITH YOUR COMPUTERS. THAT'S WHAT THAT'S WHAT OUR FUNDING IS FOR SO THIS IS NOT A SUPPLEMENT. IT'S NOT TO SUPPLEMENT EERIE NAP OR THE STATE SYSTEM IT'S TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT. BETTER AND MORE EFFICIENTLY TO THAT SO THAT THEN WE DON'T HAVE TO BE PAYING VERIZON AND THE SECONDARY PROVIDERS FOR THE COSTS. THAT'S OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. IF THERE ARE OUTAGES, WHO WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE THEN THROUGH THIS PROGRAM? WELL, I MIGHT BE GETTING AHEAD [00:05:02] OF MYSELF. WHY DON'T YOU JUST EXPLAIN HOW THE OUTAGES WORK, OR I CAN'T. YEAH, SO THIS IS HANDLED BY THE STATE. SO THE STATE IS SETTING UP THE FIBER ON ALL THIS STUFF, AND THE MONEY IS FOR US TO TAP INTO THAT. SO THEY'RE GOING TO CONTROL IT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE. LIKE EVERY COUNTY IN NEW YORK STATE IS GETTING THIS. AND EVERY COUNTY IS GETTING THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY TO TAP IN AND GET READY TO ACCEPT THIS. AND AGAIN, IT'S FIBER. IT'S GOING TO BE TOP-NOTCH AND STREAMLINED. YOU'RE NOT REALLY GOING IN TOO MANY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. YOU'RE GOING TO THAT SPECIFIC THING BUILT FOR THIS, FOR 911 SPECIFICALLY. I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT... JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE THE TWO IN FRONT OF US TODAY, BUT YOU GUYS ANSWERED MY QUESTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? WHAT IS THE GRAND PLAN TO HAVE A BACKUP 911 THAT IS SOLELY ON ITS OWN? SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE WITH 45 ELM STREET. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO TO BROADWAY, BUT THAT REQUIRES US TO SPIN IT UP WITH LAPTOP COMPUTERS AND NOT THE AMOUNT OF STUFF WE'VE INVESTED INTO 9-11 AS FAR AS ALL DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE, MULTIPLE SCREENS. FOR THE OPERATORS TO DO THEIR FUNCTION AT THEIR MAX CAPACITY. IT'S VERY, BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO A CAVEMAN SITUATION AFTER YOU'VE BEEN AT OUR 45TH ELM STREET. SO OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE TWO FULLY FUNCTIONING 9-11 CALL CENTERS SO THAT IF ANY ONE OF THEM GOES DOWN, WE DON'T HAVE ANY LOSS OF SERVICE. SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC CALLING 911. RIGHT NOW, IF 45-9 GOES DOWN, OUR CALLS START TO ROLL TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED AND REALLY READY TO HANDLE THAT VOLUME. IT'LL ROLL TO AMHERST, TONAWAH, ST. DAWAGA. AND THEY'RE FRANKLY NOT USED TO THE VOLUME THAT WE GET AT THE COUNTY LEVEL BECAUSE EVERY CELL PHONE CALL, 911, GOES TO OUR BUILDING FIRST. SO WE JUST WANT TO HAVE A SECONDARY CALL CENTER TO HAVE THAT REDUNDANCY BUILT IN SO THAT WE NEVER LOSE ANYTHING. AND IT'S WORTH OUR TIME. YOU NEVER WANT TO HAVE A SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE FOR SOMETHING AS CRITICAL AS THAT. WILL THIS COVER ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES? THROUGH THE COUNTY AT A CERTAIN TIME, LIKE IN A DATE? SO THE BACKUP SYSTEM, IT'S THE BACKUP TO THE 911. SO THE 911 CALLS CURRENTLY COME INTO THE COUNTY AND THEN ARE PUSHED TO THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES. SO THIS WOULD GIVE US THAT ABILITY. THERE'S TWO NODES OUT OF OUR BUILDING AT 45 ELM. ESSENTIALLY, IF ONE SIDE, WITH ALL DIFFERENT POWER SOURCES, IF ONE SIDE FAILS, IT CAN SEND IT OVER. BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, IF SOMETHING CATASTROPHIC HAPPENED AT THAT BUILDING, IT AUTOMATICALLY TRANSFERS. WE CURRENTLY THEN WOULD NEED TO... GET SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT MAYBE WERE INVOLVED IN THAT CATASTROPHIC INCIDENT OR PEOPLE THAT WEREN'T WORKING THAT WE COULD CALL IN TO GO OUT TO 3359 BROADWAY TO BE ABLE TO STAFF THAT ON AS WE SAID LAPTOPS IT'S IT'S VERY ARCHAIC IT'S IT'S LIKE SETTING UP AN INCIDENT COMMAND ON THE BACK OF YOUR CHIEF'S VEHICLE SO THIS GIVES US THAT REDUNDANCY AND THE THE ULTIMATE GOAL WOULD BE TO HAVE DIFFERENT PLATOONS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID DURING COVID WHERE TO KEEP PEOPLE ISOLATED THE SHERIFF'S DISPATCHERS WOULD HAVE ONE ONE PLATOON ON ONE DAY THAT WAS OUT ON BROADWAY, AND THEN THE NEXT DAY THE DIFFERENT PLATOON WOULD BE ON 45 ELM, THEY WOULD SANITIZE THE ROOM THAT THEY WERE IN TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS. WE HAVE TECHNICALLY THE CAPABILITIES AND THE CONNECTIVITY OUT THERE RIGHT NOW, BUT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE LONG-TERM CAPACITY TO DO THAT. SO LONG-TERM, THE GOAL WOULD BE TO HAVE DISPATCHERS AND THAT COMMUNICATION WHERE DIFFERENT PLATOONS WOULD BE OUT THERE AND IT WOULD BE A HOT BACKUP OR ACTIVE BACKUP FOR 24-7. I APPRECIATE THAT. I'M JUST BEING CURIOUS. I HAD A CONSTITUENT ASK ME THIS QUESTION, AND I MAY OFFLINE REACH OUT TO YOU TO KIND OF ANSWER THAT. WELL, WE'D BE HAPPY TO BECAUSE IT PLAYS INTO THE MUCH BIGGER PICTURE OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH REDUNDANCIES AND UPDATED TECHNOLOGIES AND CAPITAL PROJECTS AND GRANTS THAT WE'RE GOING. WE'RE TRYING TO SEAM THESE ALL TOGETHER, AND THE MORE ENGAGED THE LEGISLATURE IS, WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT. ALL RIGHT. THANKS FOR THE ANSWER. APPRECIATE IT. ALL SET. ANY QUESTIONS? MOTION APPROVED. MOTION APPROVED. PROPER SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. OUR LAST ITEM IS NUMBER SEVEN, COMMUNICATION 10E-20. CHRIS, TOM? GOOD MORNING, SIR. THANK YOU. THIS ITEM EXTENDS AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND BUFFALO PRENATAL PARANATAL NETWORK FOR TWO ADDITIONAL COHORTS OF THE BUFFALO BUFFALO FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE, WHICH IS PUT ON BY BPNPN. THIS IS A PROGRAM WHICH WE HAVE BEEN DOING FOR FOUR YEARS. WE'RE SEEKING TO NOW DO IT FOR A FIFTH YEAR. ABOUT 15 INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS CAN PARTICIPATE IN EACH COHORT, AND IT TEACHES THEM BASICALLY PARENTING SKILLS TO BE OVERLY SIMPLIFIED ABOUT IT. CHIEF DENA CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ON THAT. AND COMMISSARY FUNDS WILL BE USED ONCE AGAIN TO PAY FOR IT. ONE QUESTION. MOTION APPROVED. PROPER SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. MOTION ADJOURNED. MOTION ADJOURNED. PROPER SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. WE'RE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. WHERE IS SHE AT? [*A portion of this item is unavailable*] [HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES] [00:10:08] SO NOW I HAVE THE QUESTION ABOUT THE APPROPRIATIONS FOR THIS. COULD YOU JUST WALK US THROUGH EXACTLY WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS? THE EDUCATION PART OF IT, I'M KIND OF MISSING LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL PROGRAMMING LOOKS LIKE. OKAY, SO IT'S HAPPENING AT SENIOR CENTERS. THEY HAVE THESE CLASSES AS OPTIONS. OKAY. SO THEN WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THESE, LIKE, I GUESS THIS IS WHERE THEN THE $13,000 FOR OTHER EXPENSES TO ME SEEMS LIKE A LOT. SO I WOULD JUST LIKE A LITTLE CLARITY ON WHAT THAT IS FOR. OKAY. AND THEN THE ID SENIOR SERVICES GRANT THAT'S $70,000, I SEE IT'S LIKE FOOD AND KITCHEN SUPPLIES IS SEPARATE. SO I'M HAVING, I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT THAT LINE IS FOR. OKAY, SO THIS IS PRIMARILY GOING TO FUND A JOB. ESTIMATES THAT THERE ARE 21,000 PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SNAP BENEFITS, BUT DO NOT APPLY. SO, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN JUST A JOB. OKAY. SO THIS CREATES TWO NEW JOBS, AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE GRANT FUNDING RUNS OUT? THAT'S INCORRECT. THIS IS NOT TWO NEW JOBS. THESE ARE TWO EXISTING JOBS. TWO EXISTING JOBS. OKAY. SO HOW ARE THOSE JOBS FUNDED RIGHT NOW? THROUGH THIS GRANT AND OTHER NUTRITION-RELATED GRANTS IN THE DEPARTMENT. OKAY, THANK YOU. LEGISLATOR SANJIT THARAP. HI, COMMISSIONER. SO I HAVE A QUESTION ON YOUR OUTREACH FOR THIS. SO WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE? I KNOW YOU'RE FOCUSING ON OUR SENIORS, MAKING SURE THEY'RE WELL AWARE OF A HEALTHY DIET AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ATTRACT THEM TO NOT ONLY GO AND BE A PART OF THIS PROGRAM? WE DO THEN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SENIOR CENTERS AS WELL AS OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS THAT PARTNER WITH US ON OTHER INITIATIVES IN THE COUNTY ORGANIZATIONS LIKE MATT URBAN HARMONIA COLLABORATIVE CARE WE LEVERAGE ALL THOSE RELATIONSHIPS TO GET THESE CLASSES AND PROGRAMS SCHEDULED THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY AND IT'S JUST MORE LIKE THIS IS A COOKING CLASS THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD EAT ARE YOU GIVING OUT? GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO BUY FROM, I'M JUST USING AN EXAMPLE, FEEDMORE'S HEALTHY FOOD TRUCK. LIKE WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE? YEAH, SO IT GOES BEYOND DIET, WHICH IS CERTAINLY IMPORTANT, BUT ALSO FOOD PROCUREMENT. WHERE YOU CAN FIND FOOD. AND WE TRY TO TAILOR THAT SPECIFICALLY TO NEIGHBORHOODS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IN SOME AREAS OF ERIE COUNTY, YOU CAN HAVE FOUR SUPERMARKETS WITHIN FIVE MILES. IN OTHER AREAS, YOU MAY BE LUCKY TO HAVE ONE. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I JUST WANT TO SAY AS A FREQUENT VISITOR OF SENIOR HOMES IN MY DISTRICT, I'M VERY PROUD OF THE PROGRAM THAT IS RAN BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. WE TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE STATISTICS IN MY COMMUNITY WITH THE HEALTH, AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING A HEALTHY COMMUNITY, THAT'S A GREAT PART OF IT, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BIG WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THESE PARTNERSHIPS. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M LOOKING UP TO WORK WITH WHERE WE DO GET A PARTNERSHIP, AND THAT'S A PART OF MY SOS STUFF, AND JUST BRINGING IT TO THE SENIOR HOMES. SO I JUST WANT TO SPEAK ON IT IS A GREAT PROGRAM, AND THE SENIORS I INTERACT WITH ARE VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT. THEY GIVE YOU THE FOOD SANDWICH SHOWING YOU HOW TO COOK. FOR ME, THAT'S JUST A PART. BESIDES ALSO TELLING THEM ABOUT THE SERVICES BECAUSE, ONCE AGAIN, WE SPEND A LOT OF MONEY FOR THE SENIORS, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEM. SO THE MORE PEOPLE TO GET AND DO THIS IS VERY HELPFUL WITH THIS PROGRAM. SO THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MOTION TO APPROVE? SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE ALL OPPOSE? MOTION CARRIES. AND NOW WE HAVE ITEM 7, COMMUNICATION 10E-19, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH LAB PERSONNEL ADJUDGMENT. WE HAVE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER TERRANOVA. THE FLOOR IS YOURS, PLEASE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO COMMUNICATION 10E-19 SEEKS AUTHORIZATION TO CONVERT THE LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM COORDINATOR FROM REGULAR PART-TIME TO FULL-TIME. IT'S CURRENTLY BUDGETED AT 39 HOURS PER WEEK. WE'RE SEEKING TO INCREASE THAT TO 40 HOURS PER WEEK. THE NET INCREASE IS ABOUT $1,800. THE REAL REASON FOR THIS, WE DON'T EXPECT A TON OF EXTRA WORK ONE HOUR A WEEK. [00:15:02] WE'RE REALLY LOOKING... TO MAKE THIS POSITION EASIER TO RECRUIT FOR, IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT POSITION WITHIN OUR PUBLIC HEALTH LAB, AND WE'RE HAVING A HARD TIME WHEN WE DO HAVE A VACANCY RECRUITING FOR IT AND BEING ABLE TO PROMOTE FROM WITHIN. PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO GO FROM A FULL-TIME POSITION TO A PART-TIME POSITION, EVEN IF IT IS A NET INCREASE IN THEIR SALARY. ONE QUESTION. HOW LONG HAS THIS POSITION BEEN VACANT? IT'S NOT VACANT. IT'S CURRENTLY FILLED. WE JUST, THE LAST ROUND OF HIRING, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO HIRE FOR. SO IT'S JUST COME UP NOW AS A REQUEST. YEAH, I MEAN THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME TO HAVE SOMETHING AT 39 HOURS PART-TIME. SEEMS A LITTLE LIKE YOU'RE DANCING ON THE LINE THERE TO GET AROUND SOME THINGS. SO I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE. CAN YOU TELL ME JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THIS POSITION IS? SURE. SURE. SO THIS POSITION MANAGES THE INFORMATION SYSTEM AT THE LAB. SO BASICALLY THEY HAVE A SYSTEM THAT'S SIMILAR TO AN EHR, AN ELECTRONIC HEALTH SYSTEM THAT TAKES IN THE LAB REQUESTS FROM CLINICS, INCLUDING OUR OWN ERIE COUNTY CLINIC. SO WE GET THE ELECTRONIC REQUEST AND THEN THE PHYSICAL SAMPLE IS BROUGHT BY COURIER TO THE LAB. THEY ARE ABLE TO PROCESS THAT AND GET THE RESULTS BACK OUT TO THE CLINIC. THIS IS ALSO THE SYSTEM IN WHICH WE REPORT REPORTABLE DISEASES AND CONDITIONS TO NEW YORK STATE. WE ALSO ARE ABLE TO PULL ALL OF OUR DATA OUT OF THIS SYSTEM. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HOW LONG WAS THE POSITION VACANT IN THE PAST? I BELIEVE WE HAD TO GO THROUGH A COUPLE DIFFERENT ROUNDS OF INTERVIEWS IN THE LAST ROUND, AND THERE WERE INTERNAL CANDIDATES THAT MAY HAVE BEEN A GOOD FIT WHO WEREN'T INTERESTED BECAUSE IT'S LABELED AS PART-TIME. CAN YOU JUST EXPLAIN HOW THAT ONE HOUR IMPACTS THEM? SO I THINK IT'S MOSTLY THAT PEOPLE HAVE A CERTAIN EXPECTATION OR ASSOCIATION WITH PART-TIME. AND IF SOMEONE IS... IS A FULL-TIME, THEY DON'T WANT TO GO DOWN TO A PART-TIME. EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T REALLY AFFECT BENEFITS VERY MUCH, YOU STILL GET BENEFITS FOR AN RPT POSITION, BUT MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT DISTINCTION. WE ALSO, WHEN WE WE DO PUT IT OUT AS A POSITION, WE JUST DON'T GET THAT MANY PEOPLE APPLY BECAUSE THEY SEE THAT RPT AND THEY DON'T NECESSARILY UNDERSTAND THE WAY THAT THE COUNTY WORKS RPT, WHICH MAY BE DIFFERENT THAN PRIVATE INDUSTRY. ALL RIGHT. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD CANDIDATES LAST TIME AROUND. I DON'T KNOW. I JUST, I LOOK AT THIS AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S KIND OF SOLVING A PROBLEM THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY EXIST. I THINK WE DO HAVE DIFFICULTY. I MEAN, DOES IT IMPACT LIKE THEIR PENSION BY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OR ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES? NO, BECAUSE THE WAY THE COUNTY CALCULATES IT, IT'S BY YOUR NUMBER OF HOURS. BY THE NUMBER OF HOURS, YEAH. THANK YOU. MOTION TO APPROVE? MOTION. MR. BERNESE, SECOND. MR. DARROW, ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. ANY MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOTION. MR. BERNESE, SECOND TO DARROW. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. CALL TO MEETING TO ORDER [ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT] ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING NUMBER 8TH, JUNE 4TH, 2026. CLERK, TAKE THE ROLL. LEGISLATOR LARIGA? HERE. LEGISLATOR TODARO? HERE. CHAIR ST. JEAN TARD? HERE. LEGISLATOR DUPREE? PRESENT. LEGISLATOR VINAL IS ABSENT. CHAIR MYERS PRESENT AND HIS EX-OFFICIO MEMBER CORUM PRESENT. THANK YOU. ITEM ONE THROUGH SIX AND NINE ARE TABLED UNDER MY AUTHORITY AS CHAIR ITEM SEVEN AND EIGHT ARE RECEIVED AND FILED ITEMS 10 THROUGH 13 ARE ACTIONABLE ITEM 10 COMMUNICATION 10 E DASH 10. WE HAVE TRACY HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM TRACY THE FLOOR IS YOURS THANK YOU CHAIR GOOD MORNING LEGISLATORS I'M HERE BEFORE THIS HONORABLE BODY REQUESTING AUTHORIZATION TO INCREASE CONSTRUCTION CONTINGENCY FOR THE RATH BUILDING ELEVATOR MODERNIZATION PROJECT. THE REASON FOR THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS BEING NEEDED IS TO INCORPORATE ELEVATORS CARD NUMBER 9 AND NUMBER 13, WHICH ARE THE BUILDING'S FREIGHT ELEVATORS, INTO THE NEW MICROGRID EMERGENCY POWER BACKUP SYSTEM. BOTH TO ACHIEVE CODE COMPLIANCE AND TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE SEAMLESS POWER TO THE FREIGHT ELEVATORS IN THE EVENT OF POWER LOSS. THIS WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL SCOPE OF WORK BECAUSE THE MICROGRID INSTALLATION CAME IN. [00:20:01] AFTER THE ELEVATOR PROJECT STARTED, SO IT WASN'T EVEN A THOUGHT AT THE TIME. A FUNDING INCREASE BEFORE YOU TODAY IS IN THE AMOUNT OF $250,000 TO ACCOMPLISH THIS AND WORK WOULD BEGIN IMMEDIATELY AFTER AN EXECUTED CHANGE ORDER. ON THE QUESTION. OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. PERFECT. ITEM NUMBER 11. THANK YOU. COMMUNICATION 10E-11. WE HAVE TROY HERE. I WAS LIKE LOOKING FOR YOU. YES, WHERE IS TROY? THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT'S ALWAYS AN HONOR TO BE HERE. I'M SEEKING AUTHORIZATION TODAY TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH DIETER NADEL ASSOCIATES ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE. FOR PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DESIGN SERVICES FOR THE WILLOWDALE PRO SHOP. AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, WE NOW OWN WILLOWDALE, AND WE WANT TO RENOVATE THE PRO SHOP. THIS PROJECT INVOLVES PROFESSIONAL DESIGN SERVICES TO INCLUDE, EVALUATE CURRENT CONDITIONS OF THE WILLOWDALE PRO SHOP, RENOVATE USING TODAY'S CODES AND STANDARDS TO INCLUDE BUILDING ENVELOPE IMPROVEMENTS, ADA ACCESSIBILITY, RESTROOM FACILITY, STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENTS, NEW HVAC, ELECTRICAL PLUMBING, NEW ROOF, INTERIOR FINISHES FOR THE PRO SHOP AND OFFICE AREAS. DESIGN INCLUDING THE PATHWAYS TO THE PRO SHOP THE SCORING SHEET THERE WAS SEVEN COMPANIES THAT SUBMITTED PROPOSALS AND DIETER NOW IT WAS SELECTED AS THE FIRM HOW MUCH MONEY HAVE WE SPENT ON WILLOWDALE SO FAR EXACTLY I COULDN'T TELL YOU WE HAD SIX POINT EIGHT NINE MILLION DOLLARS ALLOCATED FOR WILLOWDALE AS OF TODAY, I THINK WE'RE ABOUT $4 TO $5 MILLION WITH POS, MAYBE $4 MILLION WITH POS. IS THIS FUNDING COMING FROM THAT $6.89 MILLION THAT WAS ORIGINALLY APPROVED? THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY, SO THIS ISN'T ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING? THIS WAS PART OF THE ORIGINAL PLAN? THAT IS CORRECT. ONCE THE DESIGN IS COMPLETED, HOW MUCH DO WE ANTICIPATE TO SPEND ON RENOVATING THE FORMER PRO SHOP? WELL, THAT'S WHAT THIS DESIGN WILL PROVIDE ESTIMATES AS WELL. SO WE'LL WORK WITH CONSULTANTS TO PROVIDE A 30%, 60%, 90% DESIGN, AND WE CAN MOVE THAT AROUND BASED UPON COST AND IF WE CAN AFFORD IT OR NOT. BUT THIS WILL PROVIDE US SOME COST ESTIMATES TO GO OUT TO BID OR PROVIDE WITH OUR GC. AND THEN ONCE THE DESIGN HAPPENS AND WE HAVE AN ESTIMATE, WILL THE FUNDING TO DO THIS ALSO COME OUT OF THAT SIX- 6.89 MILLION IF THERE'S REMAINING FUNDING IN THERE. YES SO IF NOT, WE COULD POTENTIALLY THIS IS NOT PART OF THE PLAN FOR THIS THE ACTUAL EXECUTION OF THIS DESIGN IS NOT PART OF THE 6.89 PLAN IT COULD BE DEPENDING IF THERE'S A BALANCE IN THERE WE'RE STILL ISSUING PO IS FOR VARIOUS WORK AT WILLOWDALE INCLUDING THERE'S A PARKING LOT WE GOT TO PUT IN THERE'LL BE ADDITIONAL WORK ON THE GOLF COURSE THAT WE GET THE ISSUE OF PO FOR SO THERE'S VARIOUS DEPENDING AT WHEN THIS GOES OUT TO BID OR WE AWARD THIS TO OUR GC HOW MUCH IT IS IF THERE'S MONEY IN THAT ACCOUNT WE WILL USE THAT FIRST THAT'S CORRECT I JUST DON'T KNOW THE COST IN THE BALANCE AT THE TIME WHEN THIS DESIGN AND ESTIMATES COME BACK OKAY ALL RIGHT THANK YOU YOU'RE WELCOME THANK YOU CHAIR JUST OFFHAND YOU KNOW YOU KIND OF SAID THIS IS GOING TO BE FOR YOU KNOW THE DESIGN WORK BUT YOU HAVE IS THIS PART OF THE CLUBHOUSE OR IS IT A SEPARATE BUILDING OR IT'S A SEPARATE BUILDING. LUCKILY FOR US, IT'S A SEPARATE BUILDING. WE'RE GOING TO PUT A PERIMETER FENCE AROUND THE CLUBHOUSE TO SECURE THE CLUBHOUSE. THIS IS A SEPARATE BUILDING THAT WE'RE GOING TO RENOVATE TO INCLUDE PUBLIC RESTROOM FACILITY FOR THE GOLF COURSE AS WELL, A STAFF REPORTING AREA, AND OBVIOUSLY THE PRO SHOP. ITSELF. YEAH, SO YOU KNOW WHAT'S KIND OF THE THE VISION FOR HOW THE PRO SHOP, LIKE WHAT TYPE OF SERVICES? I KNOW YOU KNOW I LOOK AT LIKE THE FORMER OAKWOOD, IT WAS PRETTY BARE BONES, SIMPLE, WASN'T REALLY SELLING ANYTHING, MAYBE YOU KNOW TEAS, SOME BALLS, THAT SORT OF THING. WHAT'S KIND OF THE VISION FOR WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE OFFERING? WELL PUBLIC RESTROOMS IS A BIG PART OF IT. WE NEED A RESTROOM FACILITY BEFORE WE OPEN THE GOLF COURSE, SO OFFERING PUBLIC RESTROOMS, A FEW OFFICES FOR STAFF, THE ACTUAL PRO SHOP WHERE PEOPLE... PEOPLE CHECK IN, AND TO YOUR POINT, WE'LL HAVE SOME MERCHANDISE, SOME THINGS PEOPLE CAN BUY FOR A ROUND OF GOLF. OH, SO THERE'S GOING TO BE OFFICES WITHIN THIS PRO-SHOP AREA? YES, BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE OUR CASHIERS AND STARTERS REPORT TO THERE AS WELL. OKAY. THANK YOU. MOTION TO APPROVE BY LEGISLATURE DUPREE, SECONDED BY CHAIR MEYERS. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT, I HAVE ITEM NUMBER 12, COMMUNICATION 10E-12. WE HAVE TROY TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. TROY, THE FLOOR IS YOURS AGAIN. THANK YOU. THIS RESOLUTION IS SEEKING AN AUTHORIZATION TO EXTEND AN AGREEMENT [00:25:01] WITH THE CHESTNUT RIDGE CONSERVANCY TO COLLABORATE ON CAPITAL PROJECTS AND REVITALIZE TO CONTINUE. TO REVITALIZE AND ENHANCE CHESTNUT RIDGE PARK. AS MANY OF YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, THE CHESTNUT RIDGE CONSERVANCY HAS BEEN A GREAT PARTNER FOR US AT CHESTNUT RIDGE OVER THE YEARS. ESTABLISHED IN 2010 AND SINCE THAT TIME THEY'VE PROBABLY PROBABLY UP AROUND A MILLION DOLLARS WITHIN THE PARK. SO THIS JUST ALLOWS US TO GET INTO ANOTHER FIVE-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH THEM. ON THE QUESTION, I DO HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE. MOTION FOR APPROVE BY LEGISLATOR TADERO, SECONDED BY LEGISLATOR DUPREE. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL OPPOSED? OPPOSED MOTION CARRIES SO ITEM NUMBER 13 COMMUNICATION 10 E-14 WE HAVE THANK YOU WE ARE HERE TODAY TO SEEK AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER AND DO CONTRACT WITH ERIE NET LDC FOR TWO SPECIFIC ITEMS RELATED TO THE COUNTY'S ACCESS TO THE EERIENET NETWORK WHEN THAT IS FULLY COMPLETED. THE FIRST PART IS WITH THE IRU, WHICH IS THE INDEFEASIBLE RIGHT TO USE. THAT IS THE LEASE OF THE DARK FIBER NETWORK TO INTERCONNECT THE 72 COUNTY FACILITIES ACROSS THE COUNTY INTO THE ACTUAL NETWORK. THAT WOULD BE FOR A FIVE-YEAR TERM WITH THE OPTION OF THREE ADDITIONAL FIVE-YEAR TERMS. AND THEN THERE IS ALSO THE AGREEMENT. AGREEMENT TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH ERIENET FOR MANAGED NETWORK SERVICES. THAT'S SPECIFICALLY FOR ERIENET TO ACT AS OUR SORT OF ISP TO LIGHT THE NETWORK ITSELF. AND THAT IS A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT WITH THE ABILITY OF TWO ONE-YEAR EXTENSIONS. THERE ARE, IN BOTH CASES, THERE ARE SOME SORT OF CAPITAL COSTS. IS FOR THE IRU. THERE IS A $734,000 ONE-TIME CONSTRUCTION COST. THAT'S SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO TAKING WHERE THE EERIENET NETWORK IS GOING AND CONNECTING THAT SORT OF LAST MILE FROM THE NETWORK GEOGRAPHY WHERE THE POLES ARE GOING THROUGH SPECIFICALLY TO EACH OF THESE BUILDINGS. SO IT'S GOING TO BE THE MINOR CONSTRUCTION COST FOR BRINGING THAT FIBER, IT'S SPLICING IT, BRINGING IT TO THOSE BUILDINGS. AND THEN THERE'S GOING TO BE A ANNUAL SORT OF OPERATING COST ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. THEN WITH THE MANAGED NETWORK SERVICES, THAT REQUIRES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF EQUIPMENT, WHICH I'M SURE MIKE GREEN CAN EXPLAIN MUCH BETTER THAN I CAN, ALL THE SERIES OF TUBES AND SWITCHES AND ALL OF THAT FUN STUFF, WHERE WE ARE GETTING THAT EQUIPMENT THROUGH EERIENET, AND THEN THERE'S GOING TO BE REOCCURRING CHARGES. FOR THE ACTUAL SERVICE GOING FORWARD. SO THERE'S GOING TO BE LIKE HELP DESK SERVICES. THERE'S GOING TO BE VARIOUS MAINTENANCE ON ALL THAT. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE TODAY SEEKING APPROVAL FOR. ALL OF THE FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE. THEY'RE ACTUALLY IN TERMS OF OVERALL COSTS COMPARED TO WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING. THIS IS ACTUALLY A SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS OVER THE LONG TERM, EVEN THOUGH THOUGH THERE ARE SOME IMMEDIATE UPFRONT COSTS, MANY OF THE UPFRONT COSTS, ONE, WOULD HAVE BEEN REQUIRED ANYWAYS. FOR INSTANCE, ALL OF OUR EXISTING NETWORK EQUIPMENT IS AT END OF LIFE, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE THAT OUT ANYWAYS. BUT WE'RE GOING TO END UP SAVING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY OVER THE LONG TERM BECAUSE OF THE ANNUAL REOCCURRING COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER THAN WORKING WITH VERIZON AND SO ON. I KNOW WE PROBABLY HAVE QUESTIONS, BUT I JUST HAVE, I WANT TO HAVE THIS QUESTION REAL QUICK. SO OVERTIME, WHAT'S OVERTIME? HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE GOING TO SAVE? OH, I BELIEVE I PUT IT IN THIS RESOLUTION. BECAUSE FROM WHAT I'M LOOKING AT, THE COUNTY PAYS $168,000 A MONTH. CURRENTLY RIGHT TO VERIZON. AND THEN FROM WHAT I'M SEEING ON HERE, THAT WE'LL BE PROBABLY PAYING ABOUT $6,000 AFTER THIS IS COMPLETED. YES. WHICH OBVIOUSLY THAT WOULD SAVE A GOOD CHUNK OF MONEY. BUT WE CAN TALK ABOUT THOSE NUMBERS AND HOW THIS IS GOING TO ALL BREAK OUT. WE ESTIMATED THAT OVER THE FIRST FIVE YEARS, WE WOULD SAVE APPROXIMATELY $6.2 MILLION. AND PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE... MUCH OF THE EQUIPMENT THAT HAS [00:30:01] TO BE PURCHASED, THAT WOULD BE EQUIPMENT THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE ANYWAYS. WE'RE ALSO EXPANDING. WE'RE GOING TO 72 SITES AND MIKE WHAT IS THE CURRENT EXISTING? CURRENT IS ABOUT 60 SO WE'RE INCREASING OUR SITES BUT IT'S MORE THAN THAT BECAUSE WE'RE ABLE TO, WITH THE NEW NETWORK, WE'RE ABLE TO WE'RE ACTUALLY INCREASING MORE, SO IT'S ACTUALLY AN ADDITIONAL 19 SITES BECAUSE TODAY WE HAVE TWO SEPARATE NETWORKS AND SOMETIMES THERE'S TWO NETWORKS OVER IN THE SAME BUILDING. WITH THE FIBER, YOU CAN HAVE TWO DIFFERENT HIGHWAYS COMING OUT OF THE BUILDING, SO WE'RE ABLE TO CONSOLIDATE AND OFFER A LOT MORE SITES THAN WE CURRENTLY HAVE TODAY. I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GOING TO LET MY COLLEAGUES ASK A COUPLE QUESTIONS TOO. LEGISLATOR DORIGO? HOW MANY CUSTOMERS ARE CURRENTLY ON ERIENET? IN PRODUCTION OR HAVE SIGNED AN AGREEMENT? RIGHT NOW, JUST IN PRODUCTION THERE'S NONE. SO THERE'S, SO THIS ERIE COUNTY WOULD BE THE FIRST CUSTOMER OF ERIENET? NO, TODAY THERE'S, FROM MY RECOLLECTION, THERE'S THREE MUNICIPALITIES. MUNICIPALITIES THAT SIGNED UP FOR SERVICE, BUT SINCE AREA NET IS NOT IN PRODUCTION YET THERE'S NOTHING SO THAT NOBODY'S RECEIVING SERVICE YET. NO ONE'S RECEIVING SERVICE. YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S STILL THE NETWORK IS STILL BEING COMPLETED YES, SO I KNOW THE SAVINGS YOU'RE CITING THIS NUMBER OF TWO MILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY AND I WOULD JUST REMIND THIS BODY THAT WE'VE ALREADY HAVE ABOUT 40 MILLION SUNK INTO ERIE NET CORRECT? YES. HOWEVER, I THINK THE THING WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND, AT LEAST FOR THE CONVERSATION TODAY, CERTAINLY WE CAN BREAK THIS CONVERSATION UP. BUT FOR THE CONVERSATION TODAY, WE HAVE TO SEPARATE ERIE COUNTY, THE CUSTOMER OF ERIENET, FROM ERIE COUNTY, THE BENEFACTOR OF CREATING. A NETWORK THAT IS GOING TO BENEFIT EVERYBODY IN ERIE COUNTY. I AGREE WITH THAT. I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTING DIFFERENCE TO MAKE BECAUSE ERIE COUNTY, NOW THE CUSTOMER, IS THE ONE THAT FUNDED THE CREATION OF THIS LONG... PROMISE. YEAH, WITH $34 MILLION OF ARPA FUNDS, CORRECT? SURE. SO THE COUNTY SPENT $34 MILLION SO FAR, AND WE'RE LOOKING TO SIGN UP. AND THAT WAS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF ERIENET, BUT WE'RE NOW SAYING THAT WE'RE GOING TO PAY ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THEM TO COMPLETE THE CONSTRUCTION? THAT WOULD BE THE LAST MILE CONSTRUCTION TO ALL OF OUR INDIVIDUAL SITES, BECAUSE THE ERIENET NETWORK FOLLOWS A PATH. AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE COUNTY'S BUILDINGS DOESN'T HAVE THAT PATH GOING DIRECTLY THROUGH IT. SO EVERYONE WHO IS A CUSTOMER OF ERENA IS GOING TO HAVE SOME AMOUNT OF LAST MILE COSTS TO GO FROM WHERE THE NETWORK IS RUNNING BY YOUR BUILDING OR HOWEVER CLOSE TO GET IT DIRECTLY TO YOUR BUILDING. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A COST OF THE ACTUAL FIBER DISTANCE, THE LINEAR LENGTH OF FIBER, AND THEN THE COST OF, YOU KNOW, HANGING IT FROM THE VARIOUS POLES TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B. SO THAT'S A COST THAT EVERY CUSTOMER IS GOING TO HAVE FOR THIS TO GET IT BECAUSE, I MEAN, THE DESIGN OF THE NETWORK WAS AN INTENTION TO GET IT INTO ALL PARTS OF THE COUNTY. BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE IT GO DIRECTLY TO EVERY SINGLE BUILDING THAT IT COULD BE ACCESSIBLE. CORRECT. AND I KNOW THAT WAS THE INITIAL INTENT WAS TO LIGHT THE QUOTE UNQUOTE DARK AREAS OF THE COUNTY. BUT THIS WOULD ONLY BE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. CORRECT. YES. YES. AND YES. RADIO TOWERS AS WELL. IF WE WERE TO CONTINUE WITH VERIZON, WOULD WE BE PAYING THIS CONSTRUCTION COST? NO. I DON'T BELIEVE SO. FOR THE ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS. I'M SORRY, THAT WAS A LITTLE... YES, I MEAN, NOT ALL OF IT. FOR SITES THAT CURRENTLY ARE NOT ON THE NETWORK, SO SAY AKRON, THE SITE OUT IN AKRON IS NOT CURRENTLY ON VERIZON. THERE WOULD BE CONSTRUCTION COSTS TO GET TO AKRON. WHAT ARE THEY CURRENTLY ON? WHAT ARE THEY CURRENTLY ON IF THEY'RE NOT ON TIME WARNER? SO THEY HAVE A SERVICE THAT'S JUST A POOR SERVICE. YEAH, IT'S A BAD SERVICE. WELL, A LOT OF OUR OUTLINERS, IF WE CAN GET THEM ON THE NETWORK, HAVE LITTLE OR NO OPTION IN SPEED AND CONNECTIVITY ISSUES. SO, YES, THERE WOULD BE CONSTRUCTION COSTS FROM VERIZON TO GET OUT THERE. NOW, THE SITES THAT ARE ALREADY ON. VERIZON, THERE WOULD BE NO ADDITIONAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS. BUT THE EQUIPMENT COSTS WE WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE ANYWAY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE STAY ON VERIZON OR MOVE TO SOMEONE ELSE. [00:35:03] THERE IS THAT EQUIPMENT COST THAT WE KNEW WE WERE HAVING TO DO AND WE PUT IN A CAPITAL BUDGET FOR THAT LAST YEAR, THE YEAR BEFORE. EXCUSE ME. 2024. IF WE WERE TO... TAKE THIS PATH AND DISCONTINUE WITH VERIZON, WHEN WOULD OUR CONTRACT WITH VERIZON END EXACTLY? LIKE, DO WE PAY THAT MONTHLY? LIKE, IS THAT A MONTHLY CONTRACT? IS IT AN ANNUAL CONTRACT? WE'RE ON THE STATE CONTRACT WITH VERIZON, SO WE CAN ACTUALLY DISCONNECT AT ANY TIME. OKAY. SO, AND BASICALLY THE METHOD OF IMPLEMENTATION WOULD BE TO SITE-BY-SITE. AND THEN ONCE THAT DISCONNECTED, WE PLACE A DISCONNECT ORDER. SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE HAVE A YEAR LEFT OR NINE MONTHS LEFT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SINCE WE'RE ON A STATE CONTRACT, WE CAN CANCEL OR ADD AT ANY TIME AT THAT STATE PRICE. OKAY. I MEAN, MY CONCERN IS, THIS IS JUST REALITY, EERIENET HAS NOT HIT A SINGLE DEADLINE. YOU KNOW, WE HEARD IN 2019 IT WAS GOING TO GO LIVE. SO IF WE'RE GOING TO CONVERT OUR 9-11 COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS TO EERIENET, WHICH WE HAVE NO HISTORY OF IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO OUTAGES, TO BE HONEST AND FRANK, YOU KNOW, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS, YOU KNOW, ELECTED OFFICIALS. THERE'S NO REAL GUARANTEE THAT ERIENET IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE AND RESPOND TO OUTAGES AND EMERGENCIES. SO MY CONCERN IS THE RISK THAT THIS PUTS THE COUNTY IN. SO I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE IRU BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT AN IRU WAS UNTIL YESTERDAY. IT SEEMS LIKE AN EXTREMELY TIGHT CONTRACT THAT THERE'S VERY LITTLE ROOM TO GET OUT OF. SO IF EERIENET FAILS, WHICH WE DON'T KNOW THAT IT CAN SUCCEED YET BECAUSE THERE'S NOBODY, THEY AREN'T PROVIDING SERVICE TO ANYBODY. SO THIS SEEMS LIKE A HUGE RISK. HOW WOULD WE GET OUT OF THAT CONTRACT? I DON'T KNOW THAT ANSWER TO HOW WE WOULD GET OUT OF THAT CONTRACT. IT'S A FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT. I DON'T SEE WHY THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE. DEMONSTRATED IN THE PAST AND OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND OTHER NETWORKS, SOUTHERN TIER NETWORK TO BE AN EXAMPLE. THAT NETWORK HAS STRIVED AND EXCEEDED AND THEY'VE GROWN IN CAPACITY. THEY STARTED AS THREE COUNTIES AND NOW THERE ARE FIVE COUNTIES ON THE SOUTHERN TIER NETWORK. WHAT IS THE SOUTHERN TIER NETWORK? THAT'S NOT ERIENET, IS IT? NO, IT'S LIKE A SISTER-TYPE NETWORK IN THE SOUTHERN TIER COUNTIES THAT THEY IMPLEMENTED ACTUALLY QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO AND THAT HAS SINCE EXPANDED. MIKE, YOU KNOW, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S A SISTER NETWORK, BUT WE'RE GOING FROM VERIZON THAT HAS YEARS AND A HISTORY OF BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE THESE SERVICES AND RESPOND QUICKLY TO, YOU KNOW, HOPING THAT THIS FEVER DREAM WORKS OUT WITH ERIENET. SO LET'S TALK THROUGH. WHAT ARE THE SLAS LOOK LIKE? ARE THERE PENALTIES TO EERIENET IF THEY MISS DEADLINES? YES. YES. CAN WE TALK THROUGH THOSE? YEAH. SO BASICALLY IT'S A STANDARD AGREEMENT THAT THEY HAVE FOR SERVICE OUTAGES AND SO FORTH LIKE THAT. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WHAT IS... WHAT DOES THAT AGREEMENT LOOK LIKE FOR AN OUTAGE? WHAT'S THE RESPONSE TIME? FOUR HOURS TO REPAIR. IS THAT THE SAME AS WE HAVE WITH VERIZON NOW? YES. OKAY. AND TO BE HONEST, I MEAN, VERIZON HAS NOT LIVED UP TO THEIR REPAIR DELIVERABLES. I MEAN, WE HAVE STRUGGLED WITH VERIZON OVER THE YEARS. TODAY, IT TAKES AN AVERAGE OF ALMOST A YEAR TO GET A NEW CIRCUIT INSTALLED. I MEAN, WE HAVE OUTAGES BOTH ON THE COUNTY SIDE AS WELL AS THE 911 SIDE, AND THEY DON'T MEET THEIR TIME TO REPAIR TODAY. WE'VE STRUGGLED WITH VERIZON OVER THE PAST 24 MONTHS IN PERFORMANCE. IF YOU READ THE NEWS, VERIZON HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET OUT OF THEIR LANDLINE BUSINESS, PHYSICAL COPPER AND FIBER BUSINESS. THEY'RE PUSHING EVERYTHING MOBILE. AND THEY JUST ANNOUNCED THAT AS OF JUNE 1ST, WE CANNOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THEIR PRI NETWORK CIRCUITS. AND WE CAN'T ADD, DELETE, WELL WE CAN DELETE BUT WE CAN'T ADD, WHICH THAT NETWORK IMPACTS 911 AS WELL AS THE COUNTIES. SO IT'S THERE. IT'S NOT ALL ROSY WITH THE CURRENT VENDOR THAT WE HAVE. I WOULDN'T MAKE ANY SUGGESTION THAT IT IS ALL ROSY, BUT IF WE ARE HAVING ISSUES AND NEED TO MOVE FORWARD, WE SHOULD BE ISSUING AN RFP. WE SHOULDN'T JUST BE GOING FORWARD WITH CONTRACTING WITH AN ENTITY CREATED. TO WHOM? VERIZON IS THE MONOPOLY. [00:40:04] SO EVEN TODAY, LIKE SAY AT&T. IT DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULD SKIP THE PROCESS, THOUGH. I MEAN, WE'RE JUST GIVING OUR OWN ENTITY, YOU KNOW. SO AN RFP THAT ONLY VERIZON RESPONDS TO AND DICTATES THE TERMS TO US. I HAD A FEELING WE WERE GOING TO FIGHT TODAY, MARK. BUT THAT'S THE CONCERN HERE, AND THAT'S PART OF THE BENEFIT OF THE NETWORK, IS THAT ERIE COUNTY IS IN SOME AREAS UNDERSERVED AND IN SOME AREAS UNSERVED BECAUSE THERE IS A MONOPOLY IN THE NETWORK WHERE YOU HAVE ONE CHOICE AND YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE IT OR YOU'RE JUST NOT GOING TO HAVE INTERNET. SO THAT'S KIND OF THE, THAT WAS THE IDEA BEHIND EERIENET. WELL, HANG ON A SECOND. TO BEGIN WITH WAS TO PROVIDE MORE CHOICE. THE IDEA BEHIND EERIENET WAS TO PROVIDE RESIDENCE SERVICES, NOT MUNICIPALITIES. THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S INCORRECT. EERIENET IS A DARK FIBER BACKBONE THAT WAS NEVER GOING TO BE THE LAST MILE. THE POINT WAS TO CREATE... THE DARK FIBER BACKBONE, WHICH WAS THEN GOING TO BRING IN SMALLER ISPS TO DO THE LAST MILE TO RESIDENTS. EERIENET ITSELF WAS NEVER GOING TO BE A RESIDENTIAL SORT OF INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER. I UNDERSTAND THAT. IT WAS ALWAYS THE BACKBONE AND THEN PROVIDING THE LAST MILE, BUT THE GOAL WAS ULTIMATELY TO LIGHT THE DARK AREAS OF THE COUNTY. YES. WE'RE NOW TALKING ABOUT A GOVERNMENT CONTRACT WHERE ERIE COUNTY IS GOING TO BECOME THE PRIMARY CUSTOMER OF AN ENTITY THAT WE CREATED. THEY HAVE NO HISTORY. SERVICE, THIS WOULD BE A HUGE, LIKE I SAID, THIS IS A HUGE RISK IN MY OPINION. I MEAN, WE HAVE NO TRACK RECORD TO GO ON. I UNDERSTAND VERIZON'S NOT PERFECT OR WHETHER IT'S THAT OR TIME WARNER, WHATEVER IT IS, THEY HAVE AT LEAST HISTORIES OF DOING AND BEING IN THIS BUSINESS BEFORE FOR YEARS. I HAVE MAJOR CONCERNS AND I WISH WE HAD SOMEBODY HERE FROM EURYNET TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. BUT I THINK THIS IS A HUGE RISK FOR THE COUNTY TO TAKE. I UNDERSTAND WITH THE RFP PROCESS THAT YOU DON'T FEEL WE WOULD GET ANYBODY. BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE SHOULD JUST BYPASS IT. THERE IS A FUNCTION THAT WE HAVE AND A RESPONSIBILITY WE HAVE. AND IF WE JUST GOT ONE, THEN WE WOULD JUST GET ONE, AND WE COULD LOOK AT EERIENET VERSUS VERIZON IF THEY WANTED TO APPLY AND SEE WHERE THAT GOES. I THINK JUST GIVING THIS GINORMOUS CONTRACT TO AN ENTITY WE CREATED IS KIND OF WILD TO DO WITHOUT AN RFP PROCESS. I ALSO WOULD JUST SAY, I KNOW YOU CITED 1.837829 THAT WE WOULD SAVE ANNUALLY, BUT THAT DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE ALMOST $40 MILLION WE'VE ALREADY PUT INTO THIS. SO RECOUPING THE ALMOST $40 MILLION WE ALREADY PUT INTO THIS, WE'RE LOOKING AT 20 YEARS TO BREAK EVEN MOVING FORWARD. SO I JUST THINK WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NUMBERS, YOU CAN'T JUST IGNORE WHAT WE'VE ALREADY PUT INTO THIS. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO SWITCH THIS SYSTEM. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT WE HAVE NO HISTORY IN WHAT THIS WILL LOOK LIKE IF THERE IS AN OUTAGE. I MEAN, WE DON'T KNOW. THERE'S A SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT. I HOPE THAT WE HOLD THEM TO, YOU KNOW, THOSE PENALTIES BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T MADE A DEADLINE YET. AND I THINK THIS IS A BIG RISK FOR THE COUNTY. THANK YOU. LEGISLATOR GREEN. THANK YOU. MARK, YOU STATED THAT NOBODY WOULD BE ABLE TO RESPOND OTHER THAN VERIZON TO AN RFP. WHAT PRECLUDES EERIENET FROM BEING ABLE TO RESPOND TO AN RFP? I DON'T KNOW. THEY COULD. BUT THOSE WERE YOUR WORDS, NOT MINE. THAT VERIZON IS THE ONLY ONE THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO RESPOND, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS. OTHER THAN EERIE. I MEAN, OTHER THAN EERIE. THERE'S NO THIRD ALTERNATIVE. ALTERNATIVE NECESSARY, BUT WE'VE YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ONE OF THE JUSTIFICATIONS FOR ERIE NET WAS THE ADMINISTRATION ARGUED THAT IT WOULD CREATE COMPETITION AND REDUCE COSTS SO IF IT'S GOING TO INCREASE COMPETITION ASSUMING OBVIOUSLY WITH THE SOLE MONOPOLY PROVIDER BEING VERIZON RIGHT NOW THEN THEORETICALLY, VERIZON MIGHT CUT THEIR PRICES SIGNIFICANTLY FROM WHERE THEY ARE RIGHT NOW FOR AN RFP PROCESS TO TRY TO KEEP THE BUSINESS. DOES THAT SEEM LIKE IT'S EVEN REMOTELY POSSIBLE? I MEAN, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THEY GO BY STATE PRICING BECAUSE THEY HAVE A, I GUESS, A MASTER SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE. AND MOST MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES AND OTHER ENTITIES WITHIN THE STATE USUALLY BUY OFF THAT BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE BEST RATE. YEAH, I MEAN, THEY COULD COME BACK AND COME DOWN ON THAT RATE. I DEAL WITH A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF STATE CONTRACTS IN MY PRIVATE BUSINESS, AND VERY OFTEN THERE'S A PROCESS NOW THAT NEW YORK STATE WILL UTILIZE, BUT PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU DO IT WITH A LARGER VOLUME, THAT IT ALLOWS YOU TO KIND [00:45:02] OF CUSTOMIZE AND REDUCE COSTS FROM THE PRE-NEGOTIATED NEW YORK STATE PRICE. SO THERE IS A PROCESS ALREADY IN PLACE FOR NEW YORK STATE TO DEVIATE AND REDUCE COSTS BELOW THE NEW YORK STATE CONTRACT. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY. I CAN'T SAY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER WOULD IT COME DOWN IN PRICE. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF VERIZON COMES IN HIGHER, I THINK FROM A PROCESS STANDPOINT WITH ANY LARGE CONTRACT, AN RFP IS JUST THE RIGHT PROCESS TO TAKE. REGARDLESS OF YOU KNOW AGAIN AS MARK SAID WE'RE SEPARATING THE TWO ENTITIES SO WE'RE GOING TO YOU KNOW DEAL WITH YOU KNOW THE FUNDING THAT WE DID AS A COUNTY SEPARATE FROM HEARING THAT OPERATING AS A BUSINESS THAT WE SHOULD THEN YOU KNOW GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS WITHOUT PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT MARK DO YOU SIT RIGHT NOW ON THE HEARING THAT BOARD YES BOTH OF US DO IT DOES MAKE THIS CONVERSATION NOT SOMETHING WHERE YOU HAVE TO SORT OF BIFURCATE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES DO YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST FOR YOU TO REPRESENT THE COUNTY HERE AND THEN BE RECOMMENDING THAT WE ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH AN ENTITY THAT YOU SIT ON THE BOARD? I DON'T NECESSARILY BELIEVE SO. I'M HERE UNDER MY ROLE AS THE BUDGET DIRECTOR. MIKE BREEDEN IS HERE AS HIS ROLE AS CIO. I MEAN, ANY TIME THERE WILL BE BETTER IF SOME OTHER. SPECIFIC PERSON WAS, YOU KNOW, ENGAGING IN THIS, THIS CONVERSATION, BUT IT WOULD BE THE SAME CONVERSATION. I MEAN, IF YOU'RE ASKING ME THE QUESTION, YES. I THINK IT WOULD PROBABLY BE BEST TO HAVE A NON-COUNTY EMPLOYEE FROM EERIENET THAT WOULD BE REPRESENTING THEM. I MEAN, I GUESS THAT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I MEAN, WE CAN, YOU KNOW, TRY TO MAYBE GET A, YOU KNOW, SOME TYPE OF DOCUMENTATION FROM LIKE AN ETHICS BOARD. I MEAN, RIGHT HERE, WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AS THE CUSTOMER. SO WHAT I'M CONFUSED WHERE. A NON-COUNTY REPRESENTATIVE OF EERIENET WOULD HAVE BEEN RELEVANT TO THIS CONVERSATION. I GUESS I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU MEAN ON THAT. I MEAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, REQUEST, YOU KNOW, ANY TYPE OF, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME DIRECTION, YOU KNOW, FROM AN ETHICS BOARD STANDPOINT ON WHETHER OR NOT, YOU KNOW... COUNTY EMPLOYEES THAT ALSO SIT ON ESSENTIALLY PRIVATE INDUSTRY BOARDS SHOULD BE REPRESENTING. IT'S A PUBLIC BENEFIT. WELL, IT'S A PUBLIC BENEFIT, BUT SITS ON, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION, SITS ON A BOARD AND REPRESENTS THE COUNTY. COUNTY REPRESENTING AND RECOMMENDING CONTRACTS WITH THAT ORGANIZATION SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST FOR ME. AND AGAIN, THAT'S NOTHING AGAINST YOU PERSONALLY. IT'S JUST SETTING A PRECEDENCE HERE THAT I DON'T THINK FROM A PUBLIC STANDPOINT. LOOKS TO BE ABOVE BOARD AND TRANSPARENT. AGAIN, IT'S SETTING THE RIGHT PRECEDENCE. IT'S NOT A PERSONAL ISSUE HERE. AS I'VE SAID, I THINK YOU OVERALL DO A REALLY GOOD JOB WITH A LOT OF THE BUDGET STUFF. YOU GIVE US STRAIGHT ANSWERS. SO IT'S REALLY JUST A PROCEDURAL THING ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO FROM A PROCESS STANDPOINT. AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD IS REGARDING THE CONTRACT. AGAIN, AS I STATED, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO GET OUT OF THAT CONTRACT. IT'S NOT DIFFICULT TO GET OUT OF THE CONTRACT. I MEAN, IT'S NOT LOCKING US IN FOR FIVE YEARS. IF WE DO NOT LIKE THE SERVICE, WE CAN CANCEL IT. AND I GUESS HERE'S MY UNDERSTANDING OF NEW YORK STATE LAW WITH TECHNICALLY SERVICE CONTRACTS IS REGARDLESS OF THE PAPER YOU WRITE, THERE'S ALWAYS A 30-DAY OUT UNLESS THE CORPORATION... CAN PROVIDE SOME TYPE OF DOCUMENTATION THAT THEY HAVE PROVIDED SOME TYPE OF SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT INTO SUPPORTING YOU SO I WOULD HOPE THAT MAYBE WE WOULD FALL UNDER THAT MAYBE NOT THAT'S REALLY A LAWYER'S DETERMINATION BUT I BRING THAT UP BECAUSE THE ARGUMENT I HAD KIND OF AGAINST ERIE NET IS LONG TERM I SEE AND A LOT OF THE PEOPLE I'VE SPOKEN TO IN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY BELIEVE THAT THE FUTURE OF HIGH-SPEED INTERNET IS GOING TO BE SATELLITE. AND I COULD SEE SOMETIME IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT... GOVERNMENT LAUNCHING SATELLITES THAT MUNICIPALITIES WOULD BE [00:50:01] ABLE TO TIE INTO, AND MAYBE POTENTIALLY AT NO COST, THAT MIGHT RENDER EERIENET NOT AS MUCH OF A VALUE, AND THEN I DON'T WANT TO SEE US TIED INTO COSTS WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING DOWN THE LINE. I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT FLEXIBILITY IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT GETS PUT INTO PLACE. I MEAN, I'M JUST SAYING IT MIGHT HAPPEN. IT MIGHT NOT, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE THE FLEXIBILITY TO GET OUT OF A CONTRACT. YEAH, THERE'S LANGUAGE IN THE CONTRACT AND IT'S BEEN REVIEWED. I THINK IT'S LESS THAN 30 DAYS IF WE AGREE TO THE PROBLEM. I MEAN, THE ONLY DELAY WOULD BE TO FIND A NEW SERVICE TO REPLACE IT IF WE HAD THAT ISSUE. SO, YEAH, THE CONTRACT, I DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME. BUT, YEAH, WE HAVE. GET OUT OF THAT CONTRACT IF THE SERVICE WAS NOT LIVING UP TO ITS UH WELL IT'S NOT EVEN THAT IT'S NOT LIVING UP TO IT BUT IF YOU KNOW A DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGY I MEAN WE ALL SEE TECHNOLOGIES ARE VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHEN WE WERE GROWING UP IF A TECHNOLOGY COMES INTO PLACE THAT MAKES MORE SENSE FROM A COUNTY STANDPOINT HAVING THE FLEXIBILITY TO GET OUT OF UTILIZING IT I'D LIKE TO SEE US HAVE THAT ABILITY IF IT MAKES SENSE. AND AGAIN, WE'D ALL... THESE ARE THE FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT WITH A FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION, AND BY NO STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION WOULD WE BE ON SATELLITES BY FIVE YEARS. WE DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, THEY SEEM TO BE LAUNCHING SATELLITES EVERY HOUR. I MEAN, IT'S CRAZY, AS LONG AS THEY'RE NOT BLOWING UP ON THE LAUNCH PADS. AND IT'S ALSO NOT FEASIBLE TO GET THE BANDWIDTH VIA SATELLITE IS WHAT THIS FIBER IS PROVIDING. I MEAN, WE'RE LOOKING AT, TOO... BUT PEOPLE WOULD HAVE SAID THAT 10 YEARS AGO. WE'VE GONE FROM 100 BASE T TO 01,000 BASE T NOW. YOU KNOW, THE TECHNOLOGY CHANGES OVER TIME AND BANDWIDTH CHANGES OVER TIME. THAT'S, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO LOOK, YOU KNOW, TO THE FUTURE WITH TECHNOLOGY, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IF WE ALL KNEW HOW TO DO IT, WE'D ALL BE MILLIONAIRES. IF WE KNEW WHAT IT WAS GOING TO BE 100%, WE'D ALL BE MILLIONAIRES THROUGH INVESTMENTS. BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TECHNOLOGY IS GOING TO BE. THAT'S THE ONLY QUESTIONS I HAVE. THANK YOU. ALL SET? LEGISLATOR TONARO? THANK YOU, CHAIR. MARK, OR WHOEVER WANTS TO ANSWER. SO HOW ARE... NEGOTIATIONS GOING WITH ISPS TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO CONNECT FROM THE BACKBONE TO A RESIDENCE? ARE THOSE HAPPENING? I MEAN THAT THAT WOULD BE SORT OF AS WE'RE HAVING THIS BIFURCATED CONVERSATION THAT WOULD BE A CONVERSATION FOR ERENA. WHY ARE THEY NOT HERE? OKAY SO THAT'S WHY I WANT TO ASK YOU WHY ARE THEY NOT HERE? CAN YOU ANSWER THAT FOR THEM? THIS IS A DIFFERENT TOPIC. I MEAN, AS MARK... BECAUSE WE'RE HERE AS THE CUSTOMER LOOKING TO ENTER INTO CONTRACT WITH EERIENET. LIKE, I MEAN, THINK ABOUT THIS FROM ANY OTHER SITUATION. THE COUNTY COMES BEFORE THIS, OR THE ADMINISTRATION COMES BEFORE THIS BODY SEEKING AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO CONTRACT. 20 TIMES A YOU KNOW COMMITTEE DAY, RIGHT? WE DON'T HAVE THE VENDOR HERE EVERY SINGLE TIME WE ALMOST NEVER HAVE THE VENDOR HERE. I WOULD I WOULD RECOMMEND I MEAN EERIE NET IS A PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION THAT IS SUBJECT TO OPEN MEETINGS LAWS YOU ARE ALL WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE MEETINGS. THEY'RE ALL DONE VIA WEBEX. THEY ARE PUBLICLY NOTICED DO YOU HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM YOUR CAUCUS? SLATER MILLS ON THE BOARD ALSO. THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. THAT'S NOT MY QUESTION, THOUGH. I WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ISPS. IF NO ONE IS HERE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR ME, THEN I CAN'T EVEN GO AHEAD WITH PUTTING ALL THIS INFORMATION TOGETHER ON MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND I CAN'T EVEN GET AN ISP QUESTION ANSWERED. THAT WAS THE GRAND PLAN OF THIS SINCE THIS WAS ACTUALLY PROPOSED TO THE PUBLIC. I JUST HAVE A QUESTION ON ISPS. A SIMPLE ONE. THE SIMPLE ANSWER IS RIGHT NOW, AS OF THE STATE OF THE COUNTY, THERE'S ONE ISP THAT SIGNED UP TODAY. OKAY. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT WAS ANNOUNCED AT THE STATE OF THE COUNTY. ALREADY SIGNED UP. YES, THAT WAS ANNOUNCED AT THE STATE OF THE COUNTY ADDRESS. OKAY, IS THAT GOING TO COVER ALL OF ERIE COUNTY WITH AN ISP OR CERTAIN PARTS OF THE COUNTY? I DON'T KNOW. I JUST HATE TO SEE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF CONNECTIONS. I KNOW THERE'S NEGOTIATIONS ONGOING FOR OTHER ISPS AS WELL. THERE JUST SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF HOLES IN THIS, AND I WANT TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS WHOLE THING. BUT THE SERVICES THAT ERIENET WILL BE PROVIDING IS NOT DEPENDENT UPON AN ISP SIGNING. OKAY, THAT'S IT. I ALSO WOULD RECOMMEND, AND I SAY THIS GENUINELY, IF [00:55:01] THIS BODY HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STATUS PROGRESS OF ERIENET, THERE IS NOTHING PRECLUDING THIS BODY FROM REQUESTING ERIENET PARTICIPATE IN A SPECIFIC COMMITTEE MEETING TO DISCUSS THAT. THAT'S WHY WE'RE TRYING TO SORT OF BIFURCATE THIS CONVERSATION HERE WHERE TODAY WE ARE HERE AS ERIE COUNTY, THE GOVERNMENT, LOOKING TO ENTER INTO CONTRACT WITH ERIENET, THE PROVIDER, AND NOT HERE AS REPRESENTATIVES OF ERIENET. YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT... AS AN ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATOR, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR ERIENET. SO IT SEEMS THAT I'LL HAVE TO REQUEST ERIENET TO COME IN HERE AND ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR ME. THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU. I DO WANT TO SAY, BECAUSE I READ THROUGH ALL THE AGENDAS AND I MAKE SURE AS A CHAIR I DID SEE THAT WAS REQUESTED BY A LEGISLATOR TO GO AND I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO THINK THAT SHE DID NOT REQUEST IN THE PAST FOR ERIENET TO BE THERE. AND I'M ASSUMING THIS IS THE WHY YOU RAISED YOUR HAND. OKAY, GO AHEAD, LEGISLATOR LARIGO. YEAH, I JUST WANTED, I THINK THAT IS A FANTASTIC OBSERVATION TO MAKE, IS THAT I DID SEND A LETTER TO URINET, AND I HAD VERY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, TIMELINES, THAT WAS NEVER RESPONDED TO. I HAVE WATCHED THE BOARD MEETINGS AND I HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE ANSWERS. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND ONE, BUT I'VE WATCHED THEM AFTER THE FACT AND THOSE QUESTIONS DON'T GET ADDRESSED. THE LETTER WAS NOT RESPONDED TO. I DO WANT TO GO BACK TO LEGISLATOR GREEN'S COMMENTS BECAUSE I THINK IT WAS VERY POIGNANT ABOUT THIS BEING A CONCERN. I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS A BIFURCATED ISSUE WHEN YOU ARE HERE REPRESENTING THE COUNTY AS A CUSTOMER, BUT THE REALITY IS YOU ARE BOTH BOARD MEMBERS. AND IT WAS. WAS YOUR POSITION THAT WE SHOULDN'T ISSUE AN RFP, EVEN THOUGH THE POINT OF EERIENET WAS TO INTRODUCE COMPETITION INTO THE MARKETPLACE. BUT YOUR RESPONSE IS THAT NOW EERIENET IS THE NEW MONOPOLY. I UNDERSTAND THAT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID, BUT BY MOVING FORWARD AND NOT NOT HANDLING THIS IN A WAY THAT OPENS UP COMPETITION. ERIENET IS NOT ACHIEVING ITS GOAL. I STILL AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED, AND I THINK THERE'S ETHICS QUESTIONS TO BE HAD AS WE MOVE FORWARD, EVEN WITH TAKING THIS VOTE, BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT. THE CHAIRMAN AND THE MINORITY LEADER DO SIT ON THE BOARD AS WELL, AND THAT WOULD BE CERTAINLY, I THINK, A VOTE THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO ABSTAIN FROM. THESE ARE, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT HOW WE MOVE FORWARD. I AM CERTAINLY NOT COMFORTABLE WITHOUT AN RFP PROCESS, ESPECIALLY FROM WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE. IT MIGHT BE TWO SEPARATE ISSUES WHERE YOU'RE SITTING IN TWO DIFFERENT SEATS, BUT THE REALITY IS YOU STILL ARE. BOARD MEMBERS AND WE AREN'T LOOKING FOR OTHER OPTIONS. SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERNS, BUT I DID WANT TO JUST ECHO THAT I DID SEND A LETTER TO EERIENET. I DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE. I DID REQUEST THAT THEY COME TO A COMMITTEE AND THEY HAVE NOT. SO I AM HAPPY TO RESEND THAT LETTER. I WILL CROSS OFF THE DATE AND REDATE IT AND SEND IT OVER. BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO HAVE, I UNDERSTAND NOT EVERY VENDOR COMES WHEN WE HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS, BUT WHEN WE ARE MAKING SUCH A LARGE SHIFT TO A PUBLIC CORPORATION THAT HAS NO TRACK RECORD. RECORD OF PROVIDING SERVICE SUCCESSFULLY OR MEETING DEADLINES THAT IT IS OWED A CONVERSATION BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD THANK YOU OKAY, SO I JUST HAVE A COUPLE THINGS I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SO WHEN WE DECIDED TO DO ERIE NET THERE WAS 32 MILLION DOLLARS FROM AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN MONEY THE PURPOSE OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN MONEY, WHICH I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH, WITH MY PAST CAREER BEFORE I BECAME A LEGISLATOR, WAS TO HELP PEOPLE, RIGHT? AND WE'VE SEEN A GAP. AND THE GAP WAS PEOPLE WEREN'T ABLE TO CONNECT EFFICIENTLY. OUR RESIDENTS WERE STRUGGLING IN CERTAIN AREAS TO HAVE ACCESS. SO THIS BODY, BEFORE I WAS HERE, DECIDED TO DO EERIENET. SO $32 MILLION WAS COUNTY FOR SURE MONEY. IT WAS FEDERAL MONEY TO HELP PEOPLE. IS THAT CORRECT? JUST AS A MINOR CORRECTION. IT WAS $34 MILLION. $34 MILLION. PERFECT. AND THEN NOW YOU'RE COMING BACK TO ASK US FOR INFRASTRUCTURE MONEY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO CONNECT, WHICH IS ABOUT $2.2 MILLION. BUT IF MY MATH IS DECENT, WE'LL SEE IF MY MATH IS DECENT. IN YEAR ONE, WE'RE GOING TO RECOUP $1.9 MILLION, ABOUT ALMOST $2 MILLION IN YEAR ONE. YOU SAID OVER FIVE YEARS, 6.2. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MULTIPLE SITES. AND THEN IT. IF WE DECIDED NOT TO DO THIS, WE WOULD STILL HAVE TO DO EQUIPMENT COSTS. AND THAT EQUIPMENT COST CAN BE UP TO HOW MUCH YOU THINK. IT'S CAPITALIZED IN THE BUDGET RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE A CAPITAL BUDGET OUT THERE OF, I THINK, $2.5 OR $2.8 MILLION. SO $2.5. SO REGARDLESS, WE'RE GOING TO SPEND $2.2 OR $2.5. THE DIFFERENCE IS IF WE PAY $2.2, IN YEAR ONE WE'LL GET ALMOST $2 MILLION BACK. IS THAT FAIR TO SAY? YEAH, THE EQUIPMENT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE REGARDLESS. SO THE REAL DIFFERENCE IS THE [01:00:03] SORT OF OPERATING COSTS. THAT'S WHERE THE REAL SAVINGS ARE, AND THAT ENDS UP RECOUPING THOSE EQUIPMENT COSTS. AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS SORT OF NOTED, BUT I WOULD WANT TO, YOU KNOW, SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IS THAT THE CREATION OF ERIENET ITSELF WAS NEVER SOMETHING THAT THE COUNTY ASSUMED THAT THE COUNTY WOULD THEN BE REIMBURSED FOR IN SOME WAY. IT'S A MEANING OF A PUBLIC GOOD OUTWARDLY. SO I'M TRYING TO BE NARROW IN THE IDEA OF THE ACTUAL NETWORK CREATION COST. IS SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM THE COST OF OUR INTERNET SERVICE AND THE EQUIPMENT FOR OUR INTERNET SERVICES OF THE COUNTY FROM VERIZON AND TIME WARNER AND THOSE OTHER MINOR NETWORKS FOR THE MORE OUTREACHING AREAS VERSUS WHAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO WITH EERIENET AS THIS IS COMING TO FRUITION. MY POINT EXACTLY. AND THEN NOW WE CURRENTLY HAVE VERIZON, THERE'S ISSUES AND IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE MAKING THEIR OWN RULES ON HOW TO GET THINGS FIXED, WHICH IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT CONVERSATION FOR A DIFFERENT DAY, WHICH IF WE'RE PAYING THIS MUCH MONEY, IF WE NEED SOMETHING FIXED, IT SHOULD HAPPEN. SO FOR ME, WHEN I LOOK AT THIS OVER TIME, OVER YEAR ONE, WE'RE SAVING AND WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO SPEND THE SAME MONEY JUST IN A DIFFERENT POT OF MONEY. SO WITH THAT SAID, I DO HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE BY ALLEGED LATER DECREE AS SECOND BY ALLEGED CHAIR MYERS. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. GREAT. LET'S SEE WHAT WE HAVE NEXT. IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S THE END OF OUR AGENDA. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? LEGISLATOR CREE, SECONDED BY LEGISLATOR TADARO. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.