Erie County Council members at a joint finance-personnel session on an unlisted date discussed a proposed $433,000 supplemental appropriation to the general fund intended to record additional federal revenue from U.S. Marshals and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for housing detainees.

The county staff member presenting the item said the county contracts with the U.S. Marshals and ICE to reserve beds and that federal agencies have used the county facility more than in prior years. “We have 30 beds reserved for that federal system,” the staff member said, and added that reimbursements so far this year totaled “around a hundred and 40, almost a hundred and $50,000.” The proposed $433,000 was described as a conservative middle‑of‑the‑road estimate to account for possible fluctuations.

Council members pressed staff on whether the appropriation would be certifying anticipated revenue or confirmed receipts. “Should we be appropriating on anticipated revenue that we’ve received or projections? I’d be cautious about that,” one councilmember said. Another noted that budgeted revenue routinely relies on projections but distinguished that a supplemental appropriation typically recognizes unanticipated, verified revenue.

Committee members asked for more operational detail before final action: how many beds have been filled under the federal contracts, the county’s average cost per detainee per day, and how reimbursements compare to per‑day costs. The staff member said the county’s average cost per day in the 2023/2024 annual GRR report was about $95 per inmate, and that federal reimbursement rates were roughly $99 per day. Members also asked about current bed availability: the county had told the feds it could provide 30 beds system‑wide but acknowledged the number in a particular pod can fluctuate and that, at times, only about 17 federal detainees were present in that pod.

Council members expressed concern about staffing and operational impacts if federal detainee numbers rise. One councilmember asked whether taking on more federal detainees would affect minimum staffing ratios or require overtime; staff said the county could work with federal partners to shift detainees if local capacity became constrained. Policy questions about whether the revenue was guaranteed and how to verify receipts before certifying supplemental appropriations led the committee to request more detailed, verifiable figures on receipts and bed utilization before moving forward with the ordinance.

No formal vote on the supplemental appropriation was recorded in the transcript at this meeting; committee members asked for quarterly or monthly reporting of received federal payments and for staff to provide the documentation supporting the $433,000 figure.

The discussion highlights county concerns about relying on variable federal reimbursements to fund recurring expenses such as overtime and the need for clearer, verifiable receipts prior to certifying supplemental appropriations.