Not Funding The County Home Was 'Stupid'

Not funding the County Home in the 2012 budget was "stupid," according to legislator Keith Ahlstrom, D-Dunkirk.

Today's newspaper features an article about the County Home.

A marketing firm has been selected to begin advertising the facility. Lawmakers in Mayville will vote Wednesday on whether or not to support the selection of the firm.

In today's story, both Ahlstrom and Legislature Chairman Fred Croscut, R-Sherman are quoted about the situation. That story can be read by clicking here.

In addition to his quotes included in today's story, Ahlstrom had the following to say when talking with The Post-Journal on Friday:

Legislator Ahlstrom:

"The legislature at times makes poor decisions.

Sometimes we make poor decisions just because we have no other choices to them.

The legislature in this budget decision made not only a poor decision, but probably one of the stupidest decisions I've seen any legislature that I've been involved with make - and that was to de-fund the IGT.

We know that we have a problem at the County Home financially, so what do we do? We put it into a bigger financial problem by not going after the matching funding.

But when you look at that as far as a service that we offer, the County Home. If we would have funded that for half a million, we get in return for that dollar-for-dollar just on the IGT.

But the County Home brings in $18 million in revenues and it has a huge impact on the economic viability of not just the Dunkirk-Fredonia area, but the entire county with the number of jobs. It has millions of dollars in payroll and before we make any decisions, again, as the union has suggested, we need to have and know what the economic impact of making a change will be. We need to know what going from public to private is going to do.

If we sell it, we're giving up all rights. If we sell it to somebody, it's their home - they make the decisions on what goes on there. Not having a say in something thas has that much of an economic impact, again, just really doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

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