Audit & Control Committee Meeting 08/20/26

The Chautauqua County Audit & Control Committee met on August 20, 2026, to discuss several procurement and budget-related matters. Key procurement actions included the authorization of property transfers to the Shitaka County Land Bank Corporation, the Village of Mayville, and CHQ Transit for purposes such as property rehabilitation, demolition, and the construction of a bus wash station. The committee also approved a lease agreement with the Town of Stoakqua for office space for the Public Defender and Family Court Division, involving a $600,000 buildout with 79% state funding. Budget amendments were approved for the Public Defender's Office to separate family court expenses and to accept a $1 million grant. The committee authorized acceptance of a $450,232 Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) grant to support law enforcement agencies. Additional approvals included a fire service loan to the Beimis Point Fire Department for a rescue boat and formalizing EMS housing agreements with local fire departments. The committee also accepted a $250,000 grant for housing development site inventory and zoning analysis, and approved environmental reviews for lake occupancy tax-funded projects. A significant portion of the meeting focused on fiscal policy discussions regarding the use of fund balance for budget amendments, emphasizing the need for departments to offset overruns internally before resorting to fund balance, and the importance of fiscal discipline to avoid recurring expenses being funded by one-time reserves. The committee expressed interest in revisiting fund balance usage policies to ensure transparency and taxpayer protection. Motions related to these procurement and budget items were passed with some dissenting votes, reflecting concerns about fiscal management and real estate expansion.