The Reader Beat: County Council Notes from June 2, 2026

Constituents discuss concerns over reinstating ECRSSA under the county's Adult Probation Department during the meeting on June 2.

I attended the County Council meeting on June 2 at 6 p.m. Nearly all of the comments by constituents touched on the disbanding of Erie County Re-entry Services and Support Alliance (ECRSSA) that council passed without a second reading on Feb. 26. Constituent Cyndi Treiber stated her concerns about the lack of ironclad reasoning for disbanding the program and reinstating it under the Adult Probation Department. For example, Treiber said, there have been claims that ECRSSA did not have any intensive care resources. "450 of 600 clients in 2025 were in intensive care management receiving human services assistance like drug and alcohol therapies, mental health treatment, and birth certificates," she said. Constituent Jen Paulson encouraged council to take action to build back public trust. "Halt the transfer pending a public review, release all meeting records and financial documents, open a proper procurement process, and commission an independent audit of the program's finances," Paulson said. Paul Gamble, a re-entry specialist for over 20 years, was involved in the early stages of ECRSSA and expressed his confidence in the team of people who came to run the program later. "You listened to other folks about why the programs weren't working. No one at this table called me. You didn't ask other folks like me who actually know," Gamble said. 

Some constituents also discussed cellphone usage at meetings, as the courthouse does not allow people to access their phones. However, constituents claimed that preventing people from accessing their phones during a public meeting violates the Sunshine Act. A resolution to direct the County Executive to hold a meeting to discuss this issue to allow accommodations was on the agenda. 

The meeting addressed the following ordinances and resolutions: 

• An ordinance revising expenditures of $345,000 under the 2026 Children and Youth Services Fund Budget for creation of expense line items for court ordered placements passed unanimously. 
• An ordinance appropriating $346,454 for additional revenue in 2026 from the first 2026 Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Fund Budget passed unanimously. 
• An ordinance amending Article III of the Administrative Code to approve the use of an electronic bidding process for all competitive bids and requests for proposal for the county had its first reading and was not voted on. 
• An ordinance appropriating $614,508 for additional revenue received from the PA Department of Drug and Alcohol had its first reading and was not voted on. 
• An ordinance appropriating $491,158 for additional revenue received from the Erie Regional Library Foundation for renovations had its first reading and was not voted on. 
• An ordinance appropriating $74,082 for creation of a Data Governance Administrator position in the Information Technology Department had its first reading and was not voted on. 
• An ordinance revising the revenue and expenditures of $74,082 for the elimination of a GIS Administrator position had its first reading and was not voted on. 
• An ordinance for a 2026 Appointed Official Salary for a Full-Time Assistant Public Defender was motioned to a second reading by Councilwoman Schauerman. Councilman Wertz discussed the importance of the public defender's office. "They're currently sitting on thousands of cases that they're trying to work through," Wertz said. However Drexel and Copeland hesitated moving the ordinance to a second reading. They encouraged giving the public time to comment and review the ordinance, reflecting on the vote to reinstate ECRSSA under the probation department. "Sometimes you make mistakes, make a judgement. You think people are bringing you information that is 100 percent true," Drexel said. "I have a definite problem with it being under probation, that makes zero sense whatsoever to me." The motion passed 5-2 with Drexel and Copeland voting no. The ordinance also passed, with Drexel voting no. 

• An ordinance for a 2026 Appointed Official Salary for a Part-Time Assistant Public Defender had its first reading and was not voted on. 
• Council discussed the resolution directing the County Executive to convene relevant parties to develop reasonable accommodations for the use of mobile devices at public meetings held within the courthouse. Bayle and Schauerman argued that the council should not be directing the County Executive. Copeland disagreed, saying that the resolution is a good step forward to ensure a meeting is held. "This really is a conversation that requires convening to make sure all of the elected officials are on the same page," Copeland said. Ultimately the resolution failed 4-3 with Bayle, Schauerman, Winarski, and Scutella voting no. 
• The possible appointment of Joel Natalie to the Erie County Community College Board of Trustees passed unanimously. 
• The possible appointment of Sherri Heasley to the Erie County Housing Authority passed unanimously.