Residents press council on police-community table, reentry program and housing policy

A broad set of concerns surfaced during public comment at the May 6 council meeting, focused on community representation in policing initiatives, the future of a local reentry program and rental-inspection policy.

Representation and SPCP: Deonte Cooley (Erie resident) and others said a city social-media post about an SPCP advisory body initially omitted 'Black' or 'African American' as a named group, then corrected the post; Cooley characterized that omission as offensive and urged the city to include everyday Black residents in advisory roles rather than relying chiefly on institutional or photogenic community leaders. Michael Keyes and other speakers asked that any advisory councils be representative and recommended restoring a community-liaison position to improve communications between the administration and historically underrepresented residents.

Reentry services and funding: Several speakers (Cindy Treiber, Alan Brown, and others who worked with the Erie County Reentry Support Alliance) urged clarity around the program’s funding shift. They said an existing reentry program (ECRSSA) had been moved under county probation and that service continuity and staffing were in flux; speakers provided budget figures and warned that transitions risked creating gaps in services for hundreds of clients. The mayor’s office told council that the city historically funded a CDBG-funded caseworker and that funding shifts this year move positions to county oversight; additional CDBG contract details will come forward in June.

Rental-inspection ordinance debate: Landlords and apartment-association representatives (Joel Miller, Joe Sell, Brandon Penn) urged the council to consider keeping the third-party vendor (BIU) on contract while the city evaluates administration of the inspection program, arguing that a modest fee increase could eliminate deficits and that outsourcing buys flexibility compared with hiring city employees. Speakers noted past litigation that changed inspection cycles and appealed for early staff engagement to fine-tune proposed ordinance language before a formal version was read.

Council and administration responses: Mayor acknowledged the comments, described planned follow-up (including a forthcoming town hall with the apartment association on May 19), and said staff will provide clearer CDBG-contract and reentry-funding information when CDBG contracts are reviewed in June. Councilors said they heard the concerns and requested additional data and meetings; one councilor proposed sending a solicitor’s letter to a local authority to demand overdue payments (council follow-up noted).