The Reader Beat: County Council Notes from February 25, 2025

Following our notes taken during the County Council meeting held on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.

I attended the County Council meeting on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. Half of the meeting room was taken up by members of the public, some there to share their thoughts on Resolution Number Three (a lawsuit filing to enforce the 2025 annual budget and prohibit illegal tax collection) and Resolution Number Four (to conduct an audit of the budget from 2023, 2024, and 2025) before they came to a vote. During the meeting, the council members discussed the following ordinances and resolutions. 

• An ordinance to approve the salary for a part time assistant public defender was passed unanimously. 
• Resolution Number Three, a resolution directing council's solicitor to file suit to enforce the 2025 annual budget and enjoin the administration's illegal tax collection efforts was passed 4-3. Councilwoman Ellen Schauerman, Councilman Charlie Bayle, and Councilman Jim Winarksi voted no. Before the vote, some of the council members explained why they would be voting against this resolution. Both Winarski and Bayle  elaborated that they were against a tax increase. Vice Chairman Rock Copeland supported the resolution, stating that the lawsuit "is not about policy, it is not about whether you agree with the decisions made or not made, this lawsuit is about the separation of powers." 
• An ordinance authorizing and directing the execution and delivery of a guaranty agreement for the benefit of Pleasant Ridge Manor, approving a $700,000 letter of credit agreement from Pleasant Ridge to First National Bank of Pennsylvania, directing the proper officers of the county to take necessary action, and repealing all inconsistent ordinances was not voted on. 
• An ordinance for supplemental appropriation of $227, 789 for line items in juvenile probation was not voted on. 
• An ordinance amending the Erie County Administrative Code to establish restrictions on the use of county resources and to limit their use to official government business was not voted on. However, some public comments addressed this issue, discussing inappropriate use of official social media channels by the County Executive Brenton Davis. "He campaigns for himself on the official county (social media) pages." Gretchen Blough of Edinboro said. A post made on Feb. 17 on the official Erie County Facebook page read: "Four Democrats on County Council―Scutella, Horton, Drexel, and Copeland―are once again trying to waste your tax dollars on a frivolous lawsuit. Their goal? To force an unnecessary tax increase and then falsely blame the County Executive." Chairman Terry Scutella discussed it in his report. "Do it on your own social media account. Hold a press conference with the media, cut me up all you want, but to use the county website, that should be used for people looking for things that they need, is insane." Scutella said. 
• Resolution Number 4, a resolution to request the Auditor General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to conduct an investigation of the budget and accounting policies employed by the county administration for the budget years 2023, 2024, and 2025 was passed unanimously. "I've been asking for this audit since last January, and since then things have gotten drastically worse," Councilman André Horton explained. "I'm in my 12th year and I haven't seen anything like this. Erie County's finances are in trouble." 
• A possible appointment of Jennifer G. Kubiak to the Erie County Library Advisory Board by Copeland was passed unanimously. 
• A possible appointment of Mary Jane Gilson to Erie County Care Management by Schauerman was passed unanimously. 
• A possible appointment of Donald P. Claypole to the Erie County Children and Youth Advisory Board by Bayle was passed 6-1.  

Seven members of the public shared their thoughts on a variety of issues, primarily centered around Resolution Number Three in Old Business and Resolution Number Four in New Business. "The people of Erie deserve a government that works for them," Matt Texter of Erie said. "Let the courts decide and let the Auditor General open the books, that's the only transparency I'm interested in. Let accountability start today." Others discussed concerns around funding for Pleasant Ridge Manor and detainments by ICE. "I wonder why nine Erie County residents have been picked up in the last two weeks. That's a 400% increase from the last four years," Alivia Haibach of North East said. Copeland followed up on this concern. "I've been speaking with some immigration lawyers about the nine people we've had in the county prison, some of which were picked up walking while Brown." Copeland said.