Chautauqua County planning board recommends $51.6 million in 2026 capital requests; county share about $17.9 million

Douglas Bowen, chairman of the Chautauqua County Planning Board, told the County Legislature on June 20 that the board reviewed dozens of departmental capital proposals and recommended priorities for the 2026 budget and the county’s five-year plan.

Bowen said the board reviewed 90 discrete projects across 13 departments — 45 county-funded projects for 2026, five enterprise-funded projects, 14 FAA- or state-funded airport projects, and 26 projects proposed for the 2027–2031 capital plan. The total county-funded request for 2026 was $51,600,000, with a county share of roughly $17,900,000.

The planning board uses a structured scoring system that ranks projects on objective criteria including public impact, legal mandates and funding sources, Bowen said, then applies a “common-sense test” to ensure sequencing and geographic clustering reduce future costs.

Bowen said the board raised the priority of several sheriff’s department projects “where the safety and liability concerns outweighed the dollar signs,” and adjusted planning and economic development projects after departmental input. He flagged state or federal grants as a factor that can push projects higher on the list.

County Executive Wendell and legislature members thanked the volunteer planning board for its hours of review and for producing recommendations intended to guide capital investment decisions. Bowen said the board’s goal is to fund projects that deliver “real lasting value” to county residents.

The presentation did not include final appropriations; the report is advisory and will inform the county executive’s tentative budget and the legislature’s later decisions.

Bowen closed by urging legislators to treat the report “as a road map for progress” and to consider the five-year implications of funding decisions.