Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw is calling on county leaders to begin the process of selling the Rath Building, He says Erie County government must first establish a permanent remote workforce policy where many employees are no longer needed to physically be located at 95 Franklin Street in downtown Buffalo.
Mychajliw even suggests negotiations with the City of Buffalo to share City Hall space with both governments. "This regional approach of having city and county government under one roof would save money and better serve taxpayers," adds Mychajliw.“The Rath building is a great location for office space or mixed use. The time is right. The time is now. Let’s work together, have a remote workforce and generate revenue by selling the Rath Building.”
Mychajliw says he provided a specific plan to the county and unions after hearing from several employees concerned about their health and safety. Many told him they prefer to work remotely. He says most stated they are more productive, get more work done and are happy that a remote workforce alleviates family related pressures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Many of our hard-working employees have kids that will start school from home. A lot of private employers, as well as the City of Buffalo, already allow remote work where possible. Once we establish a work from home policy, we must take the next step. The next and most important step is right-sizing the space we need. Some would argue we didn’t even need the space within the Rath Building prior to the Coronavirus pandemic,” says Mychajliw.
The Rath Building was constructed in 1968, at the cost of $15,662,339. It has 16 floors, a basement and sub-basement, as well as a 90-spot parking area underneath it.
Mychajliw cites the sale of the Dulski federal building in 2007. That is currently the Avant Building. "Look at how successful the Avant is in downtown Buffalo. The federal government got out of the landlord business. They turned an old government building into tax revenue generator. If the federal government can put a building that’s not needed back into the hands of the private sector, Erie County government can do the same,” notes Mychajliw.