Collins delivers State of County

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Chris Collins laid out his vision for the future of Erie County, but plenty of obstacles lie ahead.

The biggest obstacle, according to the county executive, is Albany. What Albany will do, whether they'll pass the state budget on time April 1st, what it might mean to the county. As for the county itself, Collins says we are doing well.

>> Read the full text of the State of the County here.

The regions top dignitaries from business and government heard Chris Collins declare that Erie County ended last year with a $44 million surplus. Collins admits, most of that is federal stimulus money. But he says it belongs to the taxpayers, and will go towards the road fund, and to keeping property taxes flat.

Even with this large surplus, critics may question why he still opted to close inner-city clinics, and take away day care subsidies for the working poor. Collins said, the state was slowly chipping away at that funding and those programs.

"It is not the job of local taxpayers to honor Albany's promises and obligations that it can no longer keep," said Collins. "While I sympathize with families impacted by this decision, all of us are going to have to learn to do more with less, if our state has any chance of economic recovery. If that makes me the bad guy in certain circles, I'm OK with that, it's what I was elected to do."