We already have a budget analyst, it’s called the control board. Due to the fact that the current majority and their inability to do their job it is time to turn this control board into a hard one now.

Weinstein is exactly right, this analyst will report to the majority and as always leave the minority completely out of the process. When Marinelli makes her statements that “It strengthens the system of checks and balances,” & “All staff serves the department and under the legislature.” she is being completely disengenious.

If we had “checks and balances” all the members of the legislature would be included in the process, not just the Democrat majority. “All” the staff ?? serves all departments? Wow is that a stretch. The Republicans have little or no staff at the county legislature, all the staff serves the majority.

Just like last year the Republicans are handed things minutes before the meetings and then are expected to vote on them during that meeting. Any thing that comes from them is thrown into committee where it dies. We have the same problem here as we have in Albany and that is a veto proof majority which could care less what the other side has to offer or say. Things have to change.

TheAmherstRecord.com, - Legislature to add budget analyst
MINORITY DISAGREES: Weinstein doesn’t like chain-of-command

The Erie County Legislature has agreed in a nearly unanimous vote to add a budget analyst until the end of the year.

The budget analyst’s main responsibility will be to comb through the budget submitted by County Executive Joel Giambra and reports the findings. The budget is scheduled to be submitted by Oct. 15.

But who the analyst should directly report to was the subject of debate at this week’s legislature meeting.

Barry Weinstein, R-Williamsville, the Legislature minority leader, took issue with the job description, which states the analyst would report to the Legislature’s chief of staff, Sean Ryan.

The chief of staff reports under the majority party.

“It looked OK except that they would report to the chief of staff,” he said. “The position should be non-partisan.”

It would be preferable not to create a new position, but to fill an existing one that’s vacant right now, Weinstein said. The job description can be changed now that the position has been approved.

The analyst would work closely with the Legislature’s Finance Management and Budget Committee, and would make slightly less than $16,500.

“It strengthens the system of checks and balances,” said Legislature Chairperson Lynn Marinelli, D-Town of Tonawanda. “All staff serves the department and under the legislature.”

The Legislature’s staff has been cut by roughly one-third, from around 26 to 11 staff members, Marinelli said. A budget analyst would reduce the stress on them.

“We’re all doing more with less in county government,” she said.