The Reader Beat: County Council Notes from February 26, 2026

Following our notes taken during the County Council meeting held on February 26 at 6 p.m.

The County Council meeting began on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. County Council voted whether or not to pass the ordinance that would terminate the contract between Erie County Prison and ICE to house federal immigrant detainees. Some constituents argued whether or not ending the ICE contract would impact New Americans and move them to detention centers hours away from family or legal assistance. "When Erie County agrees to house ICE detainees, even briefly, it sends a clear message. It tells immigrant families that the place where they call police for help, or to report crimes for safety, where they pay taxes, send their children to school, work hard to pay bills and provide for their loved ones, that same county is also participating in their detention," Constituent Wuji Ahmad, a refugee from Eritrea stated, while advocating for ending the contract. "We can do anything else instead of the hypocrisy of claiming we are an immigrant-inclusive community while detaining said immigrants. There are better options that represent our values." The meeting addressed the following ordinances and resolutions: 

• An ordinance to amend Article II, Section 7 of the Administrative Code of Erie County, the Erie County Public Library passed unanimously. 
• An ordinance appropriating $249,990 for participation in the Erie 250 Community Grant Program from the First 2026 Gaming Fund Budget passed 4-3 with Bayle, Schauerman, and Winarski voting no. 
• Councilman Winarski made a motion to table the ordinance terminating the services of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol (ICE) under the Intergovernmental Service Agreement with the United States Marshals Service, Office of Detention Services, since the U.S. Marshall is in communication with County Executive Christina Vogel and "for the good of our relationship with the federal government and the county of Erie." The motion to table failed 3-4 with Drexel, Wertz, Copeland, and Scutella voting no. Copeland spoke about his thoughts on the contract. "Our facility was never designed to have another 600 people staying nine and a half days on average. We never had the staff to handle the previous population in 2024 when the prison went over budget illegally by $2 million of expenditures," he said. "I clearly object this on moral grounds and did a year ago, February, and it is not predicated on recent events. This is something we've thought about and talked about as a body for over a year." Jim Wertz also clarified what the contract does specifically in regards to federal law enforcement: "This ordinance does not end cooperation with federal criminal law enforcement. It does not prevent prosecution of crimes at any level and it will not, as the County Executive renegotiates this contract, create a budget gap to be filled by the taxpayers of Erie County. It simply says that our local jail, funded by Erie taxpayers, will not be used as an extension of an unruly federal immigration detention system." Schauerman argued that the ordinance just "moves people away from their families and friends as soon as they are apprehended," and that at the Erie County Prison, "detainees do have access to interpreters, medical services, visitation by family, and legal services." The ordinance passed 4-3 with Bayle, Schauerman, and Winarski voting no. 
• An ordinance appropriating $47,141 from the fourth 2026 General Fund Budget for elimination of the Internet and Social Media position and the creation of the Community Engagement Officer position in the Department of Administration; and waiver of Section 9 of the Human Resources Code relating to salary of the new hire passed 5-2 with Bayle and Drexel voting no. Bayle explained that the council had a similar position in the previous administration that was voted to be terminated by his colleagues and was a necessary position. "If it's necessary now, I can only think it was personal and political at that point," he said. Copeland responded by saying that his suggestion to terminate the position "was entirely political." However, he explained that council was "paying a county employee to routinely argue with positions of council" in the media and in meetings.
• The approval of waiver of bid requirements under the purchasing code and of sole Vendor contract between Regional Science Consortium (RSC) and Erie County Department of Health (ECDH) was unanimously moved to a second reading and passed unanimously. 
• The first 2026 Drug and Alcohol Fund Budget supplemental appropriation of $156,060 and creation of new line items for additional PA Opioid Response funds had its first reading and was not voted on.
• An amendment of Resolution Number 10, 2026, 'Approval of the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Grant Application and the Cooperation Agreement Among the Erie County General Authority, Julia House, and the County of Erie' to numeration as Resolution 14, 2026 had its first reading and was not voted on. 
• The fourth 2026 General Fund Budget supplemental appropriation of $175,484 for creation of New Bureau (Re-Entry program) with five new positions in the Adult Probation Department was unanimously moved to a second reading and passed unanimously.
• A resolution for County Council to approve of the 2026 CCAP electors passed 5-2 with Schauerman and Bayle voting no. 
• A possible appointment of Lauren Shoemaker, PhD to the Erie County Library Advisory Board passed unanimously. 
• A possible reappointment of Scott Harris to the Erie County Land Bank passed unanimously. 
• A possible appointment of Mapu Boayue to the Erie County Planning Commission passed unanimously.