By a narrow margin, the Niagara Falls City Council approved the renewal of a shared services agreement with Niagara County that will provide daily summer recreational programs for 400 youth in June, July and August.
Approval of the agreement has been stalled by objections from council members Bridgette Myles (D) and Vincent Cauley (R). At Wednesday night’s council meeting, both Myles and Cauley voted against the agreement.
Council Chair Brian Archie (D) and Members James Perry (D) and David Zaja (R) voted to approve it.
In a memo to council members, Mayor Robert Restaino indicated that the agreement was an extension of a contract between the city and county dating back to at least 2024. The new agreement is backdated to Oct. 1, 2025, and runs through Sept. 30.
Under the terms of the agreement, the city will provide what is described as a “youth development program.” It will provide “400 Niagara County youth with daily recreational activities and pools and playgrounds during the summer months of June, July and August 2026.”
It will also “host special events throughout the term of (the) agreement for 1,200 Niagara County youth and their families.”
The program will be subject to the supervision of the Niagara County Youth Bureau. The county will pay the city $24,000 for its services.
“We trust … there is no further reason to delay voting,” Restaino wrote to the council members, “which is critical to secure the county’s financial contribution toward the operation of our pools and playgrounds this summer.”
Myles said she asked City Administrator Anthony Restaino and a representative of the Niagara County Youth Bureau to appear at the council meeting to answer questions, but they declined.
“I’m 100% for this program,” Myles said, “but no one is here to explain it.”
Cauley also expressed support for the agreement before voting against it.
“I am for the Falls working with the county,” he said. “This is the second year for this program. I would like to know where the money went.”
Archie replied, “I have an understanding of where the money went,” before casting the deciding vote to extend the agreement.
Myles, who has been championing a return of the Night Gyms program to the city, originally objected to the agreement extension because she reportedly believed that gym programs had been part of the original shared services contract. Restaino said prior agreements made “no mention of a night gym or winter gym” program.