BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Erie County officials unveiled the 2026 Proposed Erie County Budget on Wednesday.
Officials said the proposed budget is $2.081 billion for all General Fund accounts. It includes borrowing $20 million to consolidate the county jail, closing the downtown holding center, and expanding the correctional facility in Alden. It does raise the property tax levy by nearly 1.5 percent, but will reduce the property tax rate from $3.29 per thousand dollars of assessed value to $3.09.
The budget proposal also includes hiring more workers for the new Willowdale Park and golf course, as well as $10 million toward the creation of a new emergency radio network that will consolidate all police, fire and emergency medical communications across local and county governments into a single network.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz also addressed President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," saying he's already planning ahead for the 2027 budget because of federal funding uncertainty.
The Erie County Legislature will vote on the proposed budget in early December.
You can find more information on the budget on the county website here.
