Sheriff: Zero dollars made it into budget

Erie County Sheriff Terry Lyons says he's still worried about the county's overcrowded jail and the fate of the county drug task force -- the problems a proposed sales tax hike was supposed to solve.

Voters on Nov. 7 overwhelmingly rejected the quarter-percent hike, but the needs prompting the ballot item haven't gone away, Lyons said in a hearing before commissioners discussing the 2007 budget.

The sheriff said he can't continue to release one out of every 10 prisoners in the jail because of lack of space. Because the jail already is overcrowded, local judges are becoming frustrated because they can't impose the kinds of sentences they believe are appropriate, Lyons said.

Commissioners are scheduled to consider adopting a 2007 budget when they meet Dec. 28.

County Finance Director Pete Daniel has submitted a proposed budget of $29.5 million for 2007.

Funding for the budget includes certified revenue of $27.3 million, a carryover encumbrance of $1 million, a cash balance of $4 million, $696,598 unappropriated. Commissioners won't take requests for additional personnel and for capital improvements until January.

There won't be a lot of money available for such items, said County Administrator Another unanswered question is whether incoming commissioner Bill Monaghan will be able to increase funding for Greater Erie Marketing Group Inc., the county's lead economic development agency.

Monaghan said at GEM's annual meeting Wednesday he can't discuss that until he takes office next month.

Sales tax collections in Erie County for 2006 are running behind projections, Bixler reported. Sales taxes collected in August and turned over to the county by the state in November were down 1.62 percent.

Investment income has risen in 2006, however, driven up by the Federal Reserve's hike in interest rates, County Treasurer Jo Dee Fantozz told the commissioners Thursday. That, in turn, has driven up the interest paid to the county for its bank deposits.