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Keeping an eye on the state taxation department, public concern over a proposed $19.46 billion data center project, gun control legislation and solar panels were among the topics the public had for state Sen.George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, when he walked into the Bergen Town Hall Thursday night."If any state needs an audit of its finances, New York does.Absolutely, we should be doing that," Borrello said as he stood before a nearly full room at the town hall meeting."I think anything as large and lethargic, quite frankly, as a government budget, we should have somebody on the outside looking in.The excuse I hear is, 'We can't do it because it's going to cost so much to do a massive audit.' If we were to cut even a fraction of that fraud, a fraction of that would more than pay for an army of auditors to be able to properly and thoroughly vet the New York State budget." A man named Howard, last name unavailable, had asked when the state Department of Taxation and Finance will be audited."There are Gestapo efforts to lose taxpaying checks and attempts to double-collect," he wrote.Borrello said there is a bill sponsored by State Sen.Robert Ortt calling for an independent, third-party audit of all the department's operations."I think that's a common-sense issue, that people want to have confidence," he said."I'm a business owner myself, so I can tell you that you do, typically, need an outside audit - someone who can look at this objectively.Quite frankly, we need that in New York State.Between the state comptroller and ...groups like the Empire Center, their estimates are anywhere between 10 and 15% of New York State's budget is fraudulent." Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli recently pointed out that $1.2 billion in Medicaid payments were made to to about 100,000 people who don't live in New York State, at state taxpayers' expense.Borrello said the push for a budget audit will continue.RaeAnn Engler of Batavia was one of the people who asked or spoke about the $19.46 billion U.S.STREAM Data Centers proposal to build three data center buildings on the Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park in Alabama."While the data center will be decided locally, it will affect the region and beyond.It affects us all, including you," Engler wrote."Will you hold a town hall ...to hear from your constituents and share your opinion for the record." Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, said this is a local control issue."I know that the county government here has been supportive of the IDA (Genesee County Economic Development Center), but local control also means things like, I believe, here in Bergen, they passed a moratorium on data centers.Whether or not that will hold up down the road, keep in mind, you have organizations at the state level that can push through some of the local zoning issues.They certainly do it for things like solar ...installations," he said."They do it for other issues when the state wants something.They tend to push right through, whether it's SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review), whether it's DEC (state Department of Environmental Conservation)." Borrello read some information about the proposed STREAM project, noting he was told it will be on 90 acres at the STAMP site; that it would create 125 jobs, to which someone responded, "Lie"; and that it would support the water infrastructure the county needs."That has to be considered as part of it.That's why it's a local control issue," he said.The senator mentioned some of the solar installations locally: the proposed Alabama Solar Park, an EDP Renewables $117 million proposed project on 550 acres, with facilities in Alabama, Oakfield and Batavia, which is expected to generate about 133 megawatts.Borrello mentioned Hectate Energy Cider Solar, LLC, developing a roughly 2,500-acre installation in Elba and Oakfield, near Alabama."They're going to return very little to the communities and they're going to create zero permanent jobs," he said.Borrello noted the Excelsior Energy Center, LLC solar project on about 1,700 acres of farmland in Byron.Good farmland is being dedicated to solar installations."That's why it needs to be a decision made at the local level and I've always been supportive of that, because I lived it for 10 years in county government," he said.The conversation Thursday evening came back to the STREAM project when Engler and others spoke up.Engler said they wanted to know Borrello's opinion as a person who would be affected by the project."I'm just telling you right now, if it was going to be in my backyard, I would certainly want to know all of the risks, what is going to be here ..." Borrello said.Alyssa Beuler of Oakfield said, "We know them and nobody's listening to us." Beuler said residents are Borrello's constituents as well."If we're not being listened to by our towns, by our county, wouldn't you be our next step?" she said to Borrello.Borrello started to answer, but was cut off by someone who said he could vote for a moratorium on data centers."The moratorium's not even legislation yet, No.2, I'm not sure that's going to move out.The governor has also been supportive of ..." he said before being cut off again."I'm glad that you folks are engaged in this.You should absolutely get answers to your questions," Borrello said.Borrello said he has heard concerns that energy costs will go up because of the proposed data centers project.The state has very few data centers, he said."The entire state has somewhere between 120 and 140 data centers," he said."Compare that with Virginia.Just Northern Virginia - not all the state of Virginia - has 550 data centers.The cost, per kilowatt-hour, for electricity in Virginia is half of New York State.It's not data centers that are raising the cost of electricity, it is the horrible energy policy here in New York State.It's the fact that we have a horrible energy policy where we reduced supply while demand has increased." Borrello said he's not saying data centers aren't an issue."I'm telling you that this red herring that it's going to raise electricity costs is simply not true," he said."There are five times as many data centers in Northern Virginia alone than you have in the entire state of New York and their electricity costs are half of what we have here." The senator said the state has supported data centers because it and Gov.Kathy Hochul have not proposed a moratorium."As much as she's talked about it, they haven't done it," he said."One party controls everything - the governor's office, the Assembly, the Senate.If they wanted a moratorium, it could be done tomorrow, but they haven't even produced legislation for us to actually see." The data centers issue came up again later in the town hall meeting when some in the audience asked Borrello to hold a town hall in Alabama to talk about the data centers proposal.A man named Dave asked what the prospects of voting down what he said were ridiculous firearms laws - including air gun restrictions, background checks for firearms and ammunition, restrictions on youth use of firearms.Borrello said there are many ridiculous regulations.The state continues to pass new laws, he said."New York State has been, when it comes to our Second Amendment rights, it's been death by a thousand cuts," he said."If they could, they would just outlaw guns altogether, except for criminals, because apparently, it's OK for them to have guns.The problem is, they want to make it impossible to own a gun and to exercise your rights." There have been lawsuits in response to this legislation."The Democrats have been very active in turning over the Court of Appeals and the Appellate Division courts.We've never had conservative judges in New York State, but we had good jurists at one point," he said."Now, those people have been replaced ...It's more difficult to do at the state level, which means you have to have a federal case." Borrello sa