County courts press council to override veto, offer IT transition plan

Tom Cataldi, speaking on behalf of the courts, asked Erie County Council to override a county executive veto and move IT responsibility for county council and the elections bureau under court IT.

Cataldi told the council he and the court IT director met with the county IT director and the director of administration and said they found no specific cybersecurity or infrastructure-cost risks in the proposed transfer. "We're confident that there will not be any additional cybersecurity risks nor infrastructure cost by moving county council and the elections bureau IT responsibilities under the courts," Cataldi said.

Cataldi acknowledged the county executive's veto message warned of potential risks and increased costs but said administration officials could not point to concrete, identified risks when asked. He said the courts provided a transition plan to county IT and to council members and called the transfer "fairly seamless." He added that the request also includes staffing reclassifications and two additional positions that the courts would request regardless of the IT transfer.

Council members asked for clarification about keeping courts data separate from other county systems and whether the transfer would create new expenses. Cataldi and other speakers said the courts already use the county IT director for several elected offices and that operations could remain autonomous. "We're not interested in doing this if it's gonna cause any additional risk or problems to the county at all," Cataldi said, adding that President Judge Walsh has directed the courts to pursue the plan and that the courts want to know of any specific concerns the administration holds.

No formal vote or final action to override the veto was recorded in the transcript excerpt. Council members briefly debated whether to schedule a formal veto-override vote at a future meeting and asked for clearer administration positions to be presented in public when possible.