The Allegany County Planning and Economic Development Committee discussed a funding request from the Town of Wellsville for airport support and directed county staff to begin drafting a local law to authorize the payment.

Gary Barnes, temporary chairman of the Planning and Economic Development Committee, opened the item and asked county staff about the required process. An unnamed county staff member explained the steps: staff will draft a local law, the committee will consider a resolution to set a public hearing, the resolution must be presented to the full board of legislators and laid on their desks, a public hearing must be held and then the board may vote on the local law. Staff estimated the earliest the board could set a public hearing would be at the first full board meeting in August, with the earliest passage of a local law likely in September, given the scheduling of board meetings.

Committee members clarified the funding year and amount. A committee member asked whether the request was for the 2025 or 2026 budget; staff answered the request was for 2025. The committee was also told the requested amount is $50,000, “which is what we've done,” referring to prior similar requests. Committee members discussed that the ARPA process used previously for related funding may have followed a different approval path and that staff would review past allocations to confirm the prior approach.

The committee did not take a formal motion to adopt the local law at the meeting; instead members directed staff to prepare the draft local law and move the administrative steps forward so the committee can consider the resolution to set a public hearing at a future meeting.