Monroe County Clerk Adam Bello says he's incredibly disappointed the Republican majority in the legislature pulled funding from the county budget for a proposed downtown DMV office.
Bello, a Democrat, announced the proposal Monday.
But $52,000 dollars that was to go toward two cashiers in the new DMV office was instead allocated back into the budget for daycare subsidies.
"The money, from what I can tell from other reporting, that was allocated for childcare funding was actually not allocated to create additional spots to actually serve residents in Monroe County. It was allocated to cover a budget deficit that was created from mismanaging the child subsidy budget," he said.
Bello maintains that conversations about a downtown DMV have been going on for months, and there was never any indication that there was any opposition to the proposal.
"What you see here is the Republicans in the county legislature not realizing the election is over, and it's time to move past partisan politics and it's time to move past all these petty attacks, and we need to work together to deliver services to the people of Monroe County," he said.
Here's a statement from Majority Leader Brian E. Marianetti:
"Last night, through a line of questioning, it was revealed that it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to construct a permanent downtown DMV and the only funds included were $52,000 for staff. Due to the fact that a permanent downtown DMV would not be opening in 2017, I introduced an amendment to move the allocated $52,000 to child care subsidies which will enhance the support we already provide."
Bello says the downtown DMV is a priority of his, and he'll continue to work to bring a full-time office to the residents of the city.