Erie County finance committee members examined a proposed fund supplemental appropriation of $125,000 to release restricted adult probation supervision fee revenue so the county can pay an outstanding installment and purchase additional conducted energy devices (tasers).

A councilmember summarized the request and raised procedural concerns: part of the $125,000 would pay off an outstanding $33,000 installment relating to 12 tasers the county already owns, while the remainder would fund the purchase of an additional 19 devices. “The 33,000 is from the 12 that we already have that we were paying on an installment plan. And now we just want to pay that off with this purchase of the additional 19,” the councilmember said.

Members asked why the invoice existed before the appropriation and whether prior budget processes should have captured the payment schedule. A staff speaker explained the installment plan and said it was an administrative decision to pay off the prior obligation at the time of the new purchase. Committee members also confirmed the devices were procured through a bid process; staff reported the procurement had been competitively bid.

Committee members agreed the accounting involves restricted supervision fee revenue that is held in a restricted account and released when amounts exceed budgeted levels. One councilmember asked whether the reduced supervision fees earlier in the year had been restored through a supplemental appropriation and noted discomfort with paying an existing invoice before appropriation, prompting staff to explain the timing and that the transaction was largely technical accounting to clear the installment balance.

Because the discussion focused on administrative timing and accounting, committee members suggested moving the items to second reading with documentation of the procurement and the installment payoff before final approval.

No formal vote on the supplemental appropriation was recorded in the transcript; members requested confirmation of the procurement record and a clearer accounting trail.