Chairman’s
Statement
Organization
Meeting, Allegany County Board of Legislators
January 4, 2021
As we begin 2021, it cannot be started without
reiterating all the clichés heard around the world – 2020 and the effects
COVID-19 had on us was one for the record book, a year that we are glad is
behind us, and not a year that we would like to repeat. We cannot put the loss
and hardships of our friends and neighbors in Allegany County behind us and
simply move on. There have been too many deaths of loved ones, emotional
upsets, and financial losses to do that.
No, we must continue to keep these folks in our thoughts and prayers,
and step up and help where we can and remember that we have a long way to go
before we come close to returning to what we call normal.
As the newly elected Chairman of the Board of
Legislators for 2021, I must first thank my colleagues on the Board for placing
confidence in me for this position, and I pledge that I will do all I can to be
worthy of such an honor. I accept this position with the utmost sincerity, and
I continue my promise that I will treat this position with the dignity it deserves, and
you with the respect you deserve. I have been fortunate to have Legislative
colleagues that have been ready, willing, and able to sort through information,
address the issues, and make tough choices to overcome obstacles and advance
Allegany County in a variety of positive ways.
Beyond a good Board, the key to a successful
operation is the management, staff, and employees. Our first line of
operational management is our County Administrator. To our County
Administrator Carissa Knapp, thank you for the leadership you have given to
Allegany County and for the very capable day-to-day management of operations. Resolution
7-20 on January 13, 2020, less than a year ago appointed you to this position.
I question that if the crystal ball were in good working order and you could
have known what was coming in a few short months after that appointment, would
you have accepted the challenge? Knowing you as I do, I am sure you would have.
You were put in a position that no one had faced as County Administrator
before. By the way, Resolution No. 8-20 appointed you as Budget Officer, which
presented a completely different set of challenges.
On March 14, 2020, you and I met with the
Public Health Director, consulted with our neighboring counties, and declared a
State of Emergency for Allegany County in response to COVID-19. As we went forward, you were authorized to
perform extra duties, to build a contingency budget, to carry out furloughs,
and you conferenced with the Lt. Governor and other leaders in our area on a
daily basis.
Carissa, I know I speak for the entire Board of
Legislators when I say that we are extremely proud of the job you have done in one
of the most difficult and unsettling years in the County’s history. You were
our leader for the Emergency Operations Center setting up a command post and
utilizing designated departments and agencies to inform and work on the County’s
behalf. You utilized your Administrative Team to come up with an ongoing plan
to carry on county government and keep the services moving for those that
depend on those services. Thank you, County
Administrator Knapp.
To our Clerk of the Board Brenda Rigby Riehle
and her staff, I express my gratitude to the handling of a very busy 2020.
Besides the dozens of regular Board meetings and Standing Committee meetings,
we kept your office extra busy with a record number of Committee of the Whole
meetings, 29 if my count is correct. Add to that the new challenge of remote
call in and zoom meetings, something unheard of a year ago. In March, Brenda
began sending updates and notices out as public announcements on our behalf to
help keep people informed of COVID news and statistics. Literally 7 days a week
ever since, which added to an already full schedule. Thank you, Brenda, for
your dedication.
To our County Treasurer Terri Ross and her
staff, thank you for the many times you were called on to analyze and explain
our financial position, budget line items, matching and optimizing state and
federal funding as well as keeping us solvent when those funds did not come
through, and the efforts and expertise you contributed to our budgetary
obligations. Year 2020 was difficult, to say the least. We rung our hands, sweated,
and wondered how far off our projections on sales tax would be, how much over
budget COVID expenses would push us. You kept your cool and gave us continual
updates on our financial position, and in the end we did well. While the books
on 2020 are not yet closed, it would appear that we should end the year on the positive
side of the ledger, a commendable task that will not be realized by many of our
counterparts around the state. On September 14, we even took the floor and
shared the good news of our bond refinancing which saved almost $1.5 million due
mainly to our firm financial position and report. Thank you, Terri; we are
grateful that you were in the County Treasurer seat while we charted uncertain
waters.
As Legislators, we have been so grateful and proud
of our Department Heads, supervisors, and employees who have stepped up, gone
the extra mile, and continued the needed services for the people of Allegany
County during the COVID crisis. You improvised, adapted, and helped in ways
that were not in your job description and overcame the many challenges thrown
at us. Words could never express the gratitude and respect we have for you. You
and your families were challenged with the uncertainty of the virus just as we
all were, yet you did your job and then some, which made us all proud of your
work and your dedication – thank you all.
With the COVID challenge starting in March, we
still conducted business:
1.
We
established a Trails and Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee.
2.
We
moved forward with the Child Advocacy Center, which entailed numerous
resolutions.
3.
We
expanded our Telecommunications Development Corporation.
4.
We
submitted a $15 million grant application to expand broadband coverage in
Allegany County.
5.
We
invested in marketing and implemented the WNY Wilds Project.
6.
The
New York Planning Federation recognized us for an award-winning comprehensive
plan.
October 26 - We recognized Public Health
Director Lori Ballengee on her retirement after many years of dedicated service
to Allegany County. We then moved forward with accepting the appointment of
Tyler Shaw from the Allegany County Board of Health as our new Public Health
Director. A transfer that could have been disastrous during a pandemic was done
without incident by these two professionals. Thank you, Lori and Tyler, for a
job well done in 2020.
December 14 – Resolution No. 286-20 Appointed Jeffrey
M. Donigan as County Attorney. Effective
today, January 4, 2021, Mr. Donigan begins as County Attorney for Allegany
County. Jeff, welcome aboard, and we look forward to a more personable face-to-face
welcome when we can.
Year 2020 brought the long-awaited opening of
the Quicklee’s Travel Center, which opened August 24. A Local Waterfront
Revitalization Grant was announced for a project that will involve almost all
towns and villages along the Genesee River. The Alle-Catt Wind Project as well
as several solar energy projects around the County continue to move ahead, and
it was recently announced that the former Siemens/Dresser Rand facility is
under new ownership with efforts to utilize the facility for manufacturing and
commerce in Allegany County. Looking
ahead, we have several economic development efforts underway that we anticipate
coming to fruition soon.
As I began this message, I said that 2020 was
one for the record book. Not all bad but challenging for sure. We enter 2021
with a renewed commitment to address new challenges and a pledge to be prepared
to grab onto opportunities that come our way.
In closing, thank you once again for the honor
of serving as Chairman of the Allegany County Board of Legislators.
Curtis W.
Crandall, Chairman
Allegany
County Board of Legislators
