Their #1 job is to pass a budget, a little tough to do when they focus on other things and ignore it. They probably ignore it because it’s hard to understand. All the more reason to dive head first into it and learn how this process works.

If I had the time and didn’t have to work to pay my bills, I would be down there learning as much as possible from the control board members. In the mean time I will use their expertise to disect the budget and analyze how things have to change. I have no free time and I am not even in office yet.

Tonawanda News - ERIE COUNTY NOTEBOOK: Commission looks for budget changes

It was a bit jarring to watch Peter Reese stand in front of Erie County’s control board and explain in a flat tone that county legislators have told him behind closed doors they can’t understand the budget.

After all, legislators either make or break promises to their constituents by steering or stopping the flow of money in the budget to various sources. Their imprint on the budget reflects their ideals, philosophies and causes.

It would in fact be hard to disagree with an area radio host who once said this as he descended in the elevator from the Erie County Legislature Chambers in Buffalo after a meeting: “Their whole job is the budget.”

Reese, a Buffalo Democrat and Erie County Charter Revision Commission board member, was making his case that the board grant money to help overhaul the county’s current budgetary system, which renders a document virtually unreadable to press, public and apparently, Legislature as well.

The current budget comes out in lines, with a subject and then number amount attached. In the new system, a short explanation of the item would accompany a money amount. And its Excel format would be ditched altogether.

A law was recently passed mandating the budget change, but Reese doubted whether the county has enough resources right now to undertake that change in a year.

•Embattled grants

Reese’s specific request was for an efficiency grant, a subject of much controversy among the state-appointed control board and Erie County Executive Joel Giambra’s administration.

The board holds around $18 million to dole out to the county for money-saving initiatives, but it’s been stingy in giving in to requests. Board members often say they agree with requests from the county but cannot give money for one unless there are proven cost savings.

The only grant they have approved was for a $250,000 space management study to possibly consolidate and lease out vacant office space resulting from the 2005 layoffs.

•Turning tide

But Finance Committee board members seemed unusually warm to four recent requests from county department heads, along with the request from the Charter Review Commission, signaling that they may be ready to grant the money.

“The committee was impressed with the presentations that were made,” said control board Executive Director Kenneth Vetter. “They might not approve all of them, but they seem favorably disposed to all of them.”

Requests were made from the county Department of Central Police Services, Division of Information and Support Services, Department of Probation and Youth Detention Services and the Department of Public Works.

The board meets at 10 a.m. this Thursday to decide on the requests.

•On hold

The state Supreme Court judge who had said he would make a ruling on the case between the control board and Giambra’s administration will instead retire and hand the case off to Judge Diane Y. Devlin.

Contrary to prior reports, the control board has not yet received the 2007 budget from Giambra’s office. Though Giambra has approved the budget without any vetoes, county budget analysts must still comb through the document and adjust revenue streams which were thrown off when the Legislature made its changes.