BUFFALO, NY (WBFO) – Erie County Comptroller and county executive candidate Mark Poloncarz unveiled his plan Thursday to revitalize and restore the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library System.
The plan would restore County funding to 2010 levels and would include a comprehensive yearly analysis of all 37 libraries.
Poloncarz denounced County Executive Chris Collin’s reduced funding for libraries and his plan to create a special taxing district to fund them. Poloncarz said Collins has manufactured a crisis that does not exist.
And he said that under a special taxing district the library system would be at the mercy of tax-averse voters every year.
The libraries went through re-structuring and downsizing following the 2004 Erie County budget crisis and has been working to stabilize and establish sustainable funding.