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Erie County Council approves 3% increase to county solicitor retainer after debate
Summary
At its Jan. 14 meeting the Erie County Council voted to increase the County Council solicitor retainer by 3% via an amendment to Ordinance No. 3, 2025; council members said the change reflects increased workload for the solicitor’s office.
Erie County Council voted Jan. 14 to approve a 3% increase to the County Council solicitor retainer, advancing Ordinance No. 3, 2025 (County Council solicitor retainer) after members debated workload and compensation.
Council members discussed the change during the item listed as the second reading of Ordinance No. 3, 2025. A motion to amend the contract value to increase it by 3% (multiply by 1.03) was offered and seconded; the amendment carried on a roll-call voice vote with all recorded members voting yes. The council then proceeded to call the question and approved the ordinance as amended; the roll-call record in the transcript shows affirmative votes from Council members Copeland, Drexel, Horton, Schauerman, Buonarski, Bail, Winarski, Bale and Chairman Scatella.
Members who spoke during the discussion said the solicitor’s office workload and recent executive sessions on caseload supported the increase. One council member said the county has raised compensation for other county attorneys and described the solicitor’s increasing caseload; another council member urged that the retainers be adjusted to reflect that workload. The transcript does not name a mover or seconder for the amendment by full name; the vote and the recorded yes votes are part of the meeting record.
The council considered the amendment and the main ordinance during the second-reading debate; no additional amendments were recorded. The motion to increase the contract value and the subsequent adoption of the ordinance were both recorded as approved.
Council members did not provide a specific new contract dollar total in the discussion recorded in the transcript (the change was described only as a 3% increase). The transcript does not identify any nay votes or abstentions on the amendment or the ordinance.
The council handled other items at the same meeting, including first reads on separate ordinances and several appointments and repository-sales motions (see separate coverage).
