By Robert J. McCarthy
NEWS POLITICAL REPORTER
Erie County Executive Chris Collins’ cuts to local libraries and his plan to govern the system through a special taxing district drew a blistering attack Thursday from Democratic opponent Mark C. Poloncarz.
Poloncarz, the county comptroller seeking to unseat the Republican incumbent, gathered reporters in front of the Central Library to assail Collins for cutting county support to the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library and for creating a new level of government — a special taxing district — to govern libraries in the future.
“Our libraries were not in danger until Chris Collins manufactured this crisis by imposing draconian cuts to fund them at pre-1993 levels,” he said.
Poloncarz called the Collins plan for voters to directly determine library budgets proposed in special taxing districts “a new level of government and bureaucracy.”
“The ramifications include several hidden evils that result in more government, less control and further burdens placed on the backs of Erie County taxpayers,” he added.
Collins spokesman Grant Loomis immediately dismissed the accusations by pointing to the new plan as acceptable to the library system’s leadership and trustees “if the community wants 37 branches open and operational.”
As a result, Loomis said, the Collins plan has won widespread support because it shifts costs of maintaining local branches to the municipalities that own them and asks voters using those branches to determine their own tax levies through a direct vote.
“Nothing is more democratic than that,” Loomis said.
But in an extensive report that also cited poll results showing national support for libraries, Poloncarz argued that the county has enough money on hand to sustain the library system without the cuts Collins has made or proposed.
“This is not an issue of not having funding; it’s an issue of priorities,” Poloncarz said. “The county executive does not care about libraries. I will prioritize them.
“And there is sufficient funding to do it without raising taxes.”
Poloncarz called the Collins plan a “massive undertaking” that will shift many of the current costs to municipalities. He called that plan “irresponsible” while requiring state legislation to create the taxing district, run elections for trustees and establish a budget.
He also said New York communities using the special district concept are generally small and more rural than a metropolitan area such as Erie County.
“It is quite unprecedented for a county as large as Erie, as well an an entire library system, to become a special legislative district,” his report said.
The Democrat said he would continue to fund the library system at sustainable levels but demand annual economic reviews. He also would require an analysis of the economic impact of each branch and the entire system, while marketing the special collections and other assets as tourist attractions.
Loomis said aspects of the Collins library plan include:
• Devoting an additional $2 million a year to the system, bringing the county’s operating support to about $20 million a year. He would pull the extra $2 million from the county’s rainy day fund. The move would require County Legislature support, but lawmakers usually vote to help the system.
• Relieving the system of $1.3 million to maintain and pay utilities on the Central Library by transferring the burden to county government.
• Saving about $1.75 million each year through the transfer of facilities to municipalities.
• Spending $900,000 less in each of the three years on new materials, scaling purchases back to $2.5 million.
Poloncarz said that he keeps a county library card but that he doubts Collins has one.
“I don’t know what that has to do with it,” Loomis replied.