Chautauqua County Public Facilities Committee approves budget amendments, leases and bond authorizations

Chautauqua County’s Public Facilities Committee on Oct. 15 approved a package of budget amendments, lease renewals, equipment standardization and bond authorizations covering public facilities, county law office build-out, several water districts and training and emergency services leases.

The actions, which the committee passed by voice vote, included small budget transfers to cover higher-than-expected personnel and benefit costs, amendments to lease space for the county health department in Jamestown, a request for additional funds to finish the County Law Department office at 95 East Chautauqua in Mayville, standardization and replacement of industrial water meters, and resolutions to authorize the future issuance of serial bonds for county capital projects.

The committee’s chair opened the meeting and moved through 13 agenda items largely without extended debate. Tim Khan, director of public facilities, explained a $3,500 amendment to the Department of Public Facilities engineering budget to cover higher-than-anticipated computer replacement costs and summer-intern lunch expenses. Chad Marks, deputy director of finance for public facilities, described a $250 amendment for the landfill household hazardous waste account to cover retirement and benefits costs that exceeded the estimate.

Jessica Wirsley, director of Environmental Health Services, presented an amendment to expand the Chautauqua County Health Department’s Jamestown office into adjacent space. Wirsley said the county previously authorized use of lead rental registry funds to support the Jamestown office and reported, “we have been able to hire all of the positions that we need for that program.” She told the committee the current grant funding will cover the lease through 2028 but not the full lease term ending in 2029;…