Leg leader, in state of the county, says Orleans making progress on many fronts

Johnson vows to keep up fight against STAMP sewer pipe leading to Oak Orchard Creek

Photo by Tom Rivers: Lynne Johnson, Orleans County Legislature chairwoman, shares her state of the county address last week. From left include County Legislator Bill Eick, Legislator Ed Morgan, Legislator Don Allport, County Attorney Kathy Bogan, Chief Administrative Officer Jack Welch, Lynne Johnson, Clerk of the Legislature Lisa Stenshorn, County Treasurer Kim DeFrank, legislator Skip Draper (not in photo), Legislator John Fitzak, and Legislator Fred Miller.

ALBION – Orleans County government officials have made strides addressing needs in the community, and will continue to that focus in a collaborative effort with local towns and villages, the County Legislature leader said.

Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Legislature, gave a “state of the county” address during last week’s Legislature meeting.

She noted the county is nearing completion of bringing broadband internet throughout the county, a project that has been about a decade in the making.

Johnson supports creating a district court that would consolidate town justice courts if residents pass a referendum creating the court, and then if individual towns back the effort.

Johnson said the district is a big change and faces pushback from town justices and court clerks.

“Are we as a community willing to the leave the familiar and the comfortable behind for a new and better way forward?” she said.

The county leader said she remains opposed to a sewer pipe from the STAMP manufacturing site in the Town of Alabama that would go about 10 miles to Oak Orchard Creek. A state Supreme Court judge dismissed the county’s challenge to the project, but Orleans will appeal that decision.

“The Legislature will use every tool available to us to protect Oak Orchard Creek and its importance to us as a resource for water, recreation and tourism,” Johnson said. “And second, it’s never too late for Genesee County to revisit their position on this and to do so in a manner that sees us working together.”

Johnson praised a county workforce of about 400 employees for their service to the 40,000 residents of the county. Johnson said the county will be at the bargaining table with employee unions.

“We need to reach a fair and reasonable deal that recognizes the important work of our employees while understanding the responsibility we have to taxpayers,” she said. “Retaining our current employees and being able to recruit new talent is of the utmost importance.”

Johnson said the Legislature made two building purchases last year, which avoided new construction. Probation and the District Attorney’s office will shift to the former GCC building, and the Treasurer’s Office will move to the former Bank of America site which has a drive-through.

She said building a new public safety building would have cost an estimated $55 million.

The county paid $975,000 for the GCC building at 456 West Ave. and $250,000 for the former bank site at 156 S. Main St. The county also bought 25.7 vacant acres by GCC The for $500,000.

“We invest in our people, but we also need to make wise investments in the places where they work,” Johnson said. “Indeed, meeting the demand for county space is a balancing act. We want to minimize short-term costs at a time when budgets are strained, but we do not want to be short-sighted by forgoing opportunities that better prepare us for the future.”

Highway departments from throughout the state have been concerned about cuts in state funding for road maintenance. Johnson reiterated that call during her speech, saying the state should at least maintain the funding at a time when the cost of construction materials is up about 60 percent.

The county is poised for economic growth, particularly with certified shovel-ready land at the Medina Business Park. Johnson also said the Niagara Orleans Regional Land Improvement Corporation is focused on community development in the two counties by putting blighted or tax delinquent properties back to productive use.

The Orleans County Courthouse stands strong on a stormy day recently.

While the county has made progress on many fronts, Johnson said it faces challenges, including with a surge in homeless residents. A warming shelter opened in December at Christ Episcopal Church for when temperatures fall below 32 degrees at night. That has eased some of the demand to have temporary housing for people who are homeless. That county has been averaging about 100 placements recently.

The county has seen a 273 percent increase in placement of homeless persons since July 2022, with out-of-county placement of emergency homeless persons up 900 percent over that same period, Johnson said.

“The fact is temporary and permanent emergency housing facilities are very scarce in our county,” she said.

The county declared a state of emergency due to the lack of emergency housing.

“Much effort has been made by our generous not-for-profits, but, quite frankly, we have not been able to find a viable solution to this problem and there does not seem to be any good options on the horizon,” Johnson said.

She worries about the fiscal impacts to the county with the state taking some designated Medicaid funds from counties, and the winding down of federal Covid money.

“We are undoubtedly entering some challenging times with a cloudy horizon on the future,” she said.

That is a driving force for why she wants to see more shared services among the local governments, to reduce the overall operating costs of government.

“I think most people are aware that we are part of a shared services initiative to bring towns, villages, schools and fire departments to the table with the county to explore opportunities,” Johnson said. “Anything and everything needs to be viewed with an open mind and an honest conversation. I am hopeful that the towns and villages will really be in the driver’s seat on this effort. They have a different vantage point than the county and can bring some fresh ideas to the table.”