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County seeks $55,000 in state tourism aid and approves a planner hire
Summary
Allegheny County authorized applying for roughly $55,000 in New York state tourism promotion funds and approved filling a planner position in the planning department with county-only funding.
Director of Economic Development Ash Lee Smith told the committee the county will apply for state tourism promotion funds through the New York State 'I Love NY' state aid program, anticipating an award of approximately $55,000 for regional and local marketing. The committee authorized the chairman to sign the application and other necessary documents, subject to county attorney review, and approved the action.
Smith said the funding will be used for regional tourism marketing in collaboration with partners in the Chautauqua-Allegany region and neighboring counties and that the county is required to match the state aid in the 2026 budget. Committee members noted the request is routine and that the county seeks the funding annually.
Separately, Director of Planning Kier Durham requested permission to fill one full-time planner position (nonunion, Grama 2 step base p 9) with an annual salary range estimated between $51,050 and $72,007.50 and annual benefits between $21,000 and $30,000; the position is funded 100% with county funds and included in the 2025 budget. The committee moved, seconded and approved that hiring authorization.
Neither the tourism application nor the planner hire included vendor, solicitation, or recruitment timelines in the committee discussion.
