The Reader Beat Monthly Recap: February 2026

The Reader Beat aims to cover city and county council meetings as well as other important government and community-related meetings. The following is a summary of each meeting for the month of February.

County Council, Feb. 10, 2026:

Many constituents came to support the ordinance that would terminate the contract between Erie County Prison and ICE to house federal immigrant detainees, which had its first reading at this meeting. But Executive Director of the Multicultural Community Resource Center (MCRC) Katie Kretz expressed concern for New Americans and refugees who could potentially be affected by Operation PARRIS (Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening), an initiative used by ICE to detain refugees in Minnesota, and suggested that council table the ordinance. "Operation PARRIS has changed the entire landscape. Lawfully admitted refugees, many of them still awaiting their green cards, are being detained, sometimes without judicial warrants, and are being moved far away from their families, their attorneys, and their communities," Kretz said. "Ending the contract does not stop detention, it's going to move it."

Constituent Heidi Shadeck mentioned that a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on detaining refugees in Minnesota until the court rules on a preliminary injunction on Feb. 19. Shadeck continued, questioning whether the current contract Erie County Prison has with DHS kept any detainees' due process rights protected. "This is an impossible choice. I wonder if attempting to protect one exposed group – refugees, who have not been harmed yet by this contract, but may be under Operation PARRIS – justifies the existing, ongoing, and documented harms to other vulnerable groups," said Shadeck.

A resolution approving the financial statements and independent auditor's report of the Erie Area Council of Governments for 2024 and 2023 passed unanimously.

City Council, Feb. 18, 2026:

During this meeting, constituent Tina Hiotis called for the creation of a community policing board, describing it as "a safety measure for the public and police." Constituent Deonte Cooley discussed investing in the east side of Erie and community centers. "Our cries for help have been for change. Not just to arrest an officer, not just to not have ICE here, but to give Black and Brown people opportunities on the side of town where we reside," Cooley said. Michael Woodard brought attention to "Enough Blood Official," a Facebook account started by Marchello Woodard's son Malakai to shed light on preventable deaths, including the death of Matthew Zaborowski, who was struck by a police car on Sept. 12, 2025. The officer received a $525 fine. "Is Matthew's life worth a citation?" asked Woodard.

Executive Director of Erie Arts & Culture Susannah Faulkner argued the importance of investing in Erie's New American population and codifying the "Welcoming City" ordinance. "When we invest in welcoming policies like this ordinance, we're investing in Erie's long-term future," Faulkner said.

Following public comments, A resolution was passed unanimously to designate Erie Cemetery, located at 2116 Chestnut St., as a Historic Site, directing the city solicitor to prepare an ordinance amending the zoning map accordingly.

County Council Feb. 26, 2026:

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 that 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," Wuji Ahmad, a constituent and 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." Councilman Winarski made a motion to table the ordinance since the U.S. Marshal 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 in expenditures," he said. "I clearly object to 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."

Councilman 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," Wertz said. Schauerman argued that the ordinance just "moves people away from their families and friends as soon as they are apprehended," and that "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.

Coming up this month:

City Council: March 18 at 6:30 p.m.

County Council: March 24 at 6 p.m.