[This all sounds so wonderful and optimistic, without being to cynnical, let’s just say – we’ll see]
County To Benefit From Buffalo Billion Plan
February 18, 2013 By Liz Skoczylas (lskoczylas@post-journal.com) , Save | Comments (7) | Post a comment |
AMHERST – Although Buffalo is receiving $1 billion to develop the city, Chautauqua County will be seeing some benefits of the money.
Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo committed $1 billion to economic excellence in the Buffalo area, in order to set a new growth direction for jobs and growth in the regional economy. Last week, the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council presented six initiatives to the governor.
Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi and Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edward are each on the Regional Economic Development Council. According to Teresi, the council includes the mayors of the three largest cities in Western New York Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Jamestown as well as the top elected official from Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Erie and Niagara counties.
“With the involvement of the Regional Economic Development Council and with leadership of folks on the ground and from the city of Buffalo and Erie County, they’re putting together a strategy to apply for and receive funding through a variety of state agencies for major transformation economic development projects for Buffalo and its metropolitan area,” Teresi said.
PROPOSED INITIATIVES
The council made several recommendations for investable initiatives. It recommended a Buffalo Center for Manufacturing Initiative, which would include a state-of-the-art facility to support the region’s manufacturing center. It would be a shared services enterprise that provides support in commercializing applied research, developing more efficient operational processes, enabling entry into new markets and up-skilling the existing workforce.
Additionally, the council recommended a Buffalo Science Productivity and Research Catalyzer to help bring breakthrough health care innovations to the market. It would support researchers in developing translational research, acquiring patents and licensing those patents or developing them into businesses.
There would be a Buffalo Niagara Tourism Program to leverage the tourism assets in Niagara Falls and the city of Buffalo through a more coordinated and sophisticated marketing strategy; investments and increased programming in the Niagara State Park; investments in other regional tourism assets and amenities; and the creation of regional offerings.
Another recommendation is for a Buffalo Skills Partnership, which would be a skills broker with initial investments in Rapid Right Skilling and Say Yes. The partnership would make Buffalo’s workforce system the most flexible, diverse and responsive in the nation by aligning education and training behind the skills employers need to expand and workers need for job success.
It also introduces a Buffalo Breakthrough Business Challenge, which is a business plan competition to catalyze the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Winners would receive initial funding, incubator space, mentorship and introductions to leading venture capital firms.
Finally, the plan includes a Better Buffalo Fund to make targeted investments through a dedicated fund to support high impact economic and community development projects.
A competition would determine the best investments, based on overall strategic fit, impact, proven capacity to execution and commitment of additional funds.
“Those sectors that the Buffalo Billion-dollar plan is trying to focus on are the educational sector, growing the health care industry and these are already areas of strength and areas that are showing potential already,” Teresi said.
Last week’s meeting was attended by Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy, who heard a detailed update from the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council.
“We analyzed the projects that had been approved for late 2011 and their progress,” Edwards said. “We have reviewed the progress on projects we had approved and the state had funded through 2012. We did a very detailed analysis of where they were in their process.”
GROWING CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
The Buffalo Billion plan will go directly to the Buffalo region. However, according to Teresi and Edwards, the impact of the initiative will also positively affect Chautauqua County.
“Even though we’re not eligible for any of those earmarked funds here, the thought is that in Jamestown and Chautauqua County and Olean and Cattaraugus County, it ultimately works to our favor, and it has benefit to us to have a strong, growing, revitalized Buffalo-Niagara region,” Teresi said. ‘”Nobody will deny that Jamestown and Chautauqua County are definitely in the orbit of the Buffalo-Niagara region from a variety of standpoints. Our portion of Western New York cannot grow to its potential if the heart of the region is dying on the vine. We are supportive of this.”
Edwards agreed, saying that as the Buffalo economy continues to grow, so does the economy in Chautauqua County.
“As Buffalo and Niagara Falls become more vibrant, as the Western New York economy grows, we grow along with it,” he said. “There are a significant number of people that travel to Buffalo to work. There are businesses that people own that live here that are actually in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and vice versa. A lot of people have second homes here in Chautauqua County. Certainly, people ski down here. As the economy grows up there, it grows for all of us. So, we have a very significant reason to remain involved in all of that.”
IDA Defends Breaks For Local Businesses
‘Business Retention, Expansion Is No. 1 Goal’
December 9, 2012 By Liz Skoczylas (lskoczylas@post-journal.com) Save | Comments (10) | Post a comment |
Working toward creating a thriving county requires teamwork across the board.
TitanX, RemTronics, ECR International, Peek’n Peak, SKF Aeroengine.
From projects at TitanX Engine Cooling Inc. in Jamestown, to Peek’n Peak Resort in French Creek, to Rem-Tronics Inc. in Dunkirk, the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency has worked to keep and grow business, develop tourism and encourage development within Chautauqua County.
“Business retention and expansion is the No. 1 goal of economic development at every single level,” said Bill Daly, CCIDA administrative director.
Daly explained that the most important thing for an IDA to do is make sure that businesses are happy, that they can expand physically and grow employment. Additionally, the CCIDA is able to help a business remain competitive through changes in technology and economy.
Through a variety of loans, tax-exemption policies, payment in lieu of tax agreements and bonds, the CCIDA is able to provide assistance to businesses that the county’s towns, villages and cities that otherwise isn’t always available.
“The city itself doesn’t have the capacity that the IDA has, from an economic development standpoint. We don’t have the staff. We don’t have the technical capabilities that they do to market,” said Steve Centi, city of Jamestown director of development.
Over the years, the CCIDA has facilitated growth throughout the county. The CCIDA provided a $29 million tax-free bond for the WCA Hospital Emergency Department. The bond allowed debts to be refinanced, in addition to helping build the new department.
Another example is ECR International Inc., in Dunkirk. The CCIDA was able to work with empire State Development for incentives, which allowed the company to build a 30,000-square-foot addition, as well as purchase new equipment. Additionally, ECT received a loan from the CCIDA for $495,000.
“They did a big expansion,” Daly said. “They took 55 jobs from Canada and moved them to Dunkirk, N.Y. in a very complicated deal. They are headquartered in Utica, and they have two manufacturing plants: Utica, N.Y. and Dunkirk N.Y.”
In order to help with developing business, the CCIDA must first know about what needs to be done. Daly, along with Richard Dixon, CCIDA chief financial officer, frequently make cold calls to businesses, to find out how the CCIDA is able to help with growth.
“We’re very proactive reaching out to the business,” Dixon said. “We make a lot of cold calls. We know who the businesses are here. Some we don’t, but most we do. After six years, we’ve been able to get around to all of them.”
According to Centi, the city often defers to the CCIDA as the economic development agent. The Department of Development takes on other tasks.
“The Department of Development is somewhat of a misnomer,” Centi said. “Department of Community Development might be a better title, because we do all the rehab stuff, the code enforcement stuff. It’s a different animal, but it does, I think in total when you combine all the activity, enhance and help support economic development effort.”
Once a month, a group of various development organizations throughout the county, including the city of Jamestown and city of Dunkirk, meets to discuss current projects. Additionally, at these meetings, they are able to find how they are able to help one another come to a common goal.
“We are a region that benefits from working together,” Centi said.
However, there are times when the CCIDA and various governing bodies may not see eye-to-eye on the best way of arriving at a desired end result.
“There are some philosophical differences about the application of the tax-exemption policies, but that’s documented. Our position is pretty clear, and it’s been documented (in a series of letters). It spells out what our concerns were,” Centi said. “Being in the environment that most municipalities are in, especially right now at this time with increases in worker’s comp bills that the county has just basically passed down to all the municipalities … I think there’s going to be some more changes. It’s just a sensitive time for municipalities to be seeing reductions in revenues.”
Despite differences, though, Daly said the CCIDA is always open to communication, from anyone within the county who may have concerns.
“We just keep plugging away,” Daly said. “We’re always open to dialogue, we’re always open to discussion.”
IDA decision still causing a stir
December 2, 2012 By LIZ SKOCZYLAS OBSERVER Mayville Bureau Save | Post a comment
A tax break granted to a private for-profit developer by the Chautauqua County IDA has Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi enraged.
Thursday morning, the CCIDA board unanimously approved a decision to deviate from typical negotiations with the potential buyer of Covenant Manor – a privately owned subsidized housing building – instead granting a payment in lieu of taxes. This decision, however, is leaving Teresi fuming.
“We welcome the developer to Jamestown. We are actually looking forward to working with them on what we still believe to be a very good thing for downtown Jamestown and the senior citizens who live in that building. We think the project can be a good addition to the community,” Teresi said. “But, this is local corporate welfare at its worst.”
Covenant Manor, which is located at 23 W. Third St., provides low-income housing to seniors. The eight-story building is a former hotel which was renovated in the 1970s as senior housing. The building is under a purchase agreement with Millennia Housing Management, LTD in Cleveland, but is currently owned by the Chicago-based Evangelical Covenant Church.
“Millenia, the company that will own Covenant Manor, LLC, is a very large operator of Section 8 housing. They are award-winning, they’re great professionals,” said Bill Daly, CCIDA director.
According to Daly, Millennia intends to purchase the building for $2.5 million, following a decade of no one wanting to purchase it. Additionally, the company plans to put another $3 million into building renovations.
Currently, no tax payments are being made on the building. The plan the CCIDA approved, however, would have Millennia paying taxes in full in 11 years.
“They wanted a very low PILOT. And we said, ‘If you had a decent assessment, not the $2.5 (million selling price) but $1.5 (million), you’d be paying $75,000 a year in property tax on that building,” Daly said. “So, they wanted $20,000 a year for one year and we said, no, you’re going to pay more than a standard IDA PILOT.”
Daly continued that typically, businesses save 70 percent on tax payments over 10 years. However, with this agreement, Millennia would be saving less than 50 percent.
On the other hand, though, Teresi calls the deal unfair to other companies in the same line of residential business and who have to pay taxes in full and on time each year.
“There are other ways in which we could have worked together to help with this project just as we have in other recent cases, like the Bradmar Village redevelopment, in which that project stayed on the tax rolls and continues to pay its full tax obligation to the city, county and school district,” Teresi said.
Teresi questioned why the for-profit developer needed a taxpayer subsidy, as well as why the IDA – whose goals include attracting and retaining business – is working on a project that entails existing subsidized housing.
“The local taxpayer subsidy that the IDA approved (Thursday) for a private for-profit subsidized housing project is not needed, it’s not appropriate, it’s unfair to the other local subsidized housing providers, who are already paying their fair and full share of taxes,” he said. “This project does nothing, zero, zilch from an economic development and a job creation standpoint.”
Daly, however, said that in addition to the money that the developer will be putting into the building, the project will also bring more people downtown.
“They say that they can get 100 percent occupancy. It’s not anywhere near 100 percent occupancy now. Plus, they’re willing to spend $3 million to remodel the place. So, it’s a wonderful deal, really,” Daly said.
With the tax breaks, Teresi said it will be the taxpayers in the city of Jamestown who will ultimately suffer through the granting of this PILOT agreement.
“There is really no such thing as a ‘tax break.’ One person’s tax break is the next guy’s increased tax bill,” Teresi said. “In the end, someone is always on the hook for the bill. Today, it looks like the taxpayers of Jamestown in Chautauqua County took it in the end yet again. This is outrageous. This type of thing needs to stop.”
The way the PILOT program works, Daly explained, is that the developer will make the payments directly to the CCIDA. The CCIDA then will break up the payments between the city, county and school district in the same proportions each would receive if being paid in full.
Millennia will, at the end of 10 years, begin making payments in full directly to each entity, rather than through the CCIDA. And, beginning in year 11, it will be making those payments based on whatever assessment it negotiated with the city.
The CCIDA is able to make PILOT and other taxing agreements on its own, without consulting the city in which a project is taking place. However, Daly said, if it were to attempt to change the percentage of what each governing body would receive, it would need to pass through the County Legislature, City Council and school board.
Additionally, the CCIDA receives 1 percent of the total of each project it works with, as a fee. Daly said he believed this year, the CCIDA collected “a couple hundred thousand dollars” in its revenue stream.
“I think we probably budgeted for $250,000 and we’ll probably close out the year somewhere near there. We’ve had other years where we’ve gone way, way, over and we’ve had other years where we’ve been under. This year, we’re pretty on track with that,” Daly said.
Despite the CCIDA board unanimously approving the PILOT agreement, Teresi still feels that the entire process should have gone differently.
“(The CCIDA) have done and continue to play an invaluable role in all types of legitimate projects,” Teresi said. “This was an improper role to play in a project that shouldn’t be assisted by an industrial development agency.”
A new covenant
November 30, 2012 By SHIRLEY PULAWSKI spulawski@observertoday.com OBSERVER Staff Writer Save | Post a comment
The Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency held a meeting in the SUNY Fredonia Technology incubator in Dunkirk on Thursday, but most of its business centered on Covenant Manor Apartments, LLC in Jamestown and unusual tax terms the CCIDA has negotiated.
Located at 23 W. Third Street, Covenant Manor provides low-income housing to seniors. The eight-story building is a former hotel which was renovated in the 1970s as senior housing.
The building is under a purchase agreement with a company in Cleveland, but is currently owned by the Chicago-based Evangelical Covenant Church. According to its 2011 annual report, the church has had plans to sell the establishment for over 10 years. It also reported the sale would not be possible until February 2012 after refinancing steps with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. At the time of the report, it was believed a purchase agreement with a Cleveland-based for-profit company could be closed by June 30. The housing has been managed by a division of Lutheran Social Services since 2009
A PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes, has been negotiated with the prospective buyers by the CCIDA The agreement is a deviation from typical negotiations. Working with rental housing is also unusual for the CCIDA because the business classification doesn’t fall under business descriptions in its uniform code: it is not industrial, doesn’t promote tourism and isn’t adapting a parcel to a new use.
CCIDA Chief Financial Officer Richard Dixon said, “The city feels we should only be doing industrial projects. … It’s one of their objections to the project,” but said regarding the legality of the CCIDA doing business outside its normal scope, “IDAs in New York City do mostly housing projects.”
The deviation from its normal scope prompted Thursday’s public hearing in Dunkirk, which followed a public hearing Wednesday in Jamestown at which letters and comments were submitted regarding the PILOT agreement. Thursday’s hearing was strictly for the CCIDA to address its own policy and vote on whether or not to allow the deviation as part of its scope of business. All members of the CCIDA were present, including the newest member Hans Auer of Bemus Point, who was introduced at the meeting.
Dixon explained the policy. “The agency has … a uniform tax exemption policy, and it’s something that the IDA has adopted, so it is something that was made and amended a couple times over the years. What it does is set forth standard tax abatements based on type of project. So there is sort of a general, catch-all that says if you apply for financial benefits and you receive financial benefits, your tax abatement will be X, and it’s this sliding scale,” he said. “It’s a parcel that’s been off the tax roll. It’s not brand new, but it’s coming on the tax roll, but it’s not a new parcel. … so it isn’t really your standard uniform policy.”
Dixon continued, “The IDA has very broad statutory authority to apply benefits. … Because it doesn’t fit in that number scheme, the deviation (hearing) is all about saying OK, this project is something we still want to consider, but it doesn’t fit within this standard number system for purposes of tax abatement, so we’re going to negotiate something that’s very project-specific.”
Dixon told the board, “The PILOT amount was a 10-year PILOT. The people who are buying Covenant Manor, from Cleveland, approached us and said they had been in discussions with the assessor of the city of Jamestown; it was their understanding … there would be a special provision in the tax law that would allow them to not pay full tax on this.”
However, Dixon explained, the company learned from the tax office it did not qualify for a tax reduction. “So that meant they were going to have to pay full tax,” which Dixon said was unacceptable to the company.
“At that point, they came back to the IDA and said ‘If we don’t get this tax abatement, we will be unable to proceed with purchasing this,’ which would have left the parcel off the tax roll, paying no tax. They also wanted to invest $3 million in the project,” he explained, and said the tax starts at 50 percent of the full amount.
“That amount increases every year … and in year eleven, it will be full tax. So we thought that was fair,” Dixon said.
CCIDA Director William Daly said, “It was our understanding some local non-profits have passed on purchasing this building. Even though they would have paid no tax, they still didn’t feel they could make a go with this. … We thought it fit in nicely with the downtown development plan,” and noted the property, “hasn’t been on the tax roll in literally decades.’
When the company learned its tax amount, they approached the IDA. Daly explained, “They said it’s way beyond what they wanted to pay because they plan to invest another $3 million in this building that’s had no money put into it in years and years … This brings in well over $400,000 in revenue to the taxing jurisdictions the city, the school system and the county over the next 11 years.
Auer asked about terms discussed with the city. “It sounded like, in the letters (he read from the city) … the city felt like they had a deal with the developer, and then we came in at the eleventh hour and squashed the deal.”
Dixon replied it wasn’t the case.
“That’s not true. That’s the perception of what happened. The developer (Jim Wells) actually came to our last board meeting and he made a very thorough presentation … One of the key ingredients was that they initially only wanted to pay about $20,000 a year in a PILOT, but you can see we’ve started them at about $37,800, so we were (asking) substantially more than they wanted to pay.”
After discussion, the board unanimously decided to approve the deviation and continue with the negotiated terms and a straight lease transaction. Another resolution was unanimously adopted declaring no negative environmental impact to the area should the project move forward in a SEQR application, which is part of meeting obligations to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
County Makes Good With Audit Claims
November 16, 2012 By Liz Skoczylas (lskoczylas@post-journal.com) Save | Post a comment |
MAYVILLE – A state Comptroller’s Office audit released in June has been dealt with by the county.
Dave Ditanna and Wayne Rishell, BWB auditors, spoke during Thursday’s Audit and Control Committee meeting to go through the audit with committee members and review the county’s response.
The audit claimed that the county has lost money due to risky investments and questionable management decisions. It found that the county failed to protect taxpayers from losses related to investments in two Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency bonds.
According to the audit, the county IDA in 2000 and 2001 purchased bonds to fund the construction of speculation buildings in the towns of Sheridan and Busti. Auditors, however, found that payments from the businesses in these spec buildings did not cover the required annual IDA debt payments.
The bond in Sheridan was used in part to develop the Chadwick Bay Industrial Park, while the bond in Busti was used to develop the Stoneman Business Park.
The audit shows the first bond defaulted, causing the county to lose $1.8 million in its fund balance; the county also lost $94,500 in outstanding property taxes.
However, according to Ditanna, the county’s financial statements are correct. Despite the initial bad news, the auditors mainly praised the county for its improvements over past years.
“The theme that you can hear from this is that there are a lot of improvement with the coordination of finance with the outlying departments. A lot of the things we are focusing on now are internal with finance,” Rishell said.
According to a response from County Executive Greg Edwards, which is included in the audit, the information about the CCIDA bonds “does not give even close to a complete picture of the background and impacts of the spec bonds.”
“The comptroller is focusing on what happened 12 years ago instead of the over $8 million in physical growth and the 185 employees that developed in and around these spec buildings,” Edwards said after the report was released in June.
He also said that the reported $1.8 million bond is now back in the books with the county, and will be restored to the general fund balance.
Expansion Plan
County Planning Board May Offer Comprehensive Plan-Related Grants
December 5, 2012 By Liz Skoczylas (lskoczylas@post-journal.com) Save | Comments (1) | Post a comment
In the future, the Chautauqua County Planning Board may be able to provide mini-grants to various organizations with visions aligned with the comprehensive plan.
The planning board met Tuesday at the CCIDA offices in Jamestown. Aside from looking at items to focus on in 2013, the board received reports from its various subcommittees.
Margaret Lawrence of Forestville and Mark Geise, Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development deputy director, updated the board on the comprehensive plan.
The Chautauqua 20/20 Comprehensive Plan was completed in 2011. According to Geise, the County Legislature provided $250,000 in 2007 for the plan to be completed. Now, more than $47,000 remains.
Lawrence and Geise proposed to the board using a portion of the leftover funding to support groups completing projects that are in accordance to the comprehensive plan.
“You limit it to $3,000 or something like that per project,” Geise said. “It’s got to be in line with what the comprehensive plan recommended. It can only be used for these certain types of uses, which might be pre-planning, or engineering, or feasibility analysis, things that would then push the recommended action to a level where it can actually be implemented.”
The board talked about putting together a resolution, and then speaking to the County Legislature about the idea for the rest of the funding.
The Chautauqua County Planning Board will continue to discuss the comprehensive plan at its next meeting, which will be held in January.
Dream It Do It to help manufacturers develop workforce
August 5, 2012 The OBSERVER Save | Post a comment |
The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council announced that Dream It. Do It. (DIDI) Western NY is moving forward with the first stages of the $500,000 award it received as part of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Regional Council Initiative. This project involves the coordination of a regional initiative to promote advanced manufacturing and the careers offered by the advanced manufacturing sector. It will implement a work plan consisting of regional marketing, events and internship and apprenticeship opportunities.
“There are numerous manufacturing jobs available in Western New York,” said Empire State Development Regional President Sam Hoyt. “The problem we have is that many people are not aware these jobs exist and don’t have the skills necessary to fit into today’s advanced manufacturing workforce. We hear it constantly from our manufacturers in the region and it has become a problem that will only get worse as more people retire.
Click heading to read full article…
Dream It. Do It. Program Expanding
July 29, 2012 By Dennis Phillips (dphillips@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal Save | Post a comment |
BUFFALO – A project coordinating regional initiatives to promote advanced manufacturing and job sector careers has received $500,000 from the state to strengthen the program.
On Tuesday at Erie Community College’s city campus, regional officials announced that the Dream It. Do It. program has received the money as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s regional council initiative.
The Dream It. Do It. campaign is a national, as well as regional, program to address the growing shortage of talent and skilled workers in U.S. manufacturing. The national program was developed by the Manufacturing Institute, an affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers.
”There are numerous manufacturing jobs available in the Western New York,” said Sam Hoyt, Empire State Development regional president. ”The problem we have is that many people are not aware these jobs exist and don’t have the skills necessary to fit into today’s advanced manufacturing workforce. We hear it constantly from our manufacturers in the region and it has become a problem that will only get worse as more people retire. Dream It. Do It. is an initiative to promote manufacturing careers and bring key stakeholders from the private, public and education sector together to address this challenge. I am pleased that we have the opportunity to help this initiative expand throughout the Western New York region.”
Chautauqua County was the first county in the state to implement the program and the initiative has since expanded into Cattaraugus, Allegany, Erie and Niagara counties.
David Porter, Cummins Jamestown plant manager, said his company has benefited from the initiative both here in Chautauqua County and at the company’s headquarters in Indiana.
”We have invested in it as a company by opening our doors to student tours, hosting interns, delivering high school curriculum at our facility, participating in career events and putting financial resources into the program,” he said. ”It is my hope that we can get more manufacturers to participate and benefit in the same way we have.”
Chautauqua County started its Dream It. Do It. program in 2009. David Johnson, county Dream It. Do It. coordinator, said the program has reached an estimated 7,000 middle and high school students who have participated in events, which include career fairs, in-school presentations, manufacturing training, robotics competitions and technology tours of local industries and community colleges.
”In addition, we have seen an enrollment increase of 42 percent in the technology programs at the Manufacturing Technology Institute at Jamestown Community College and strong participation by our mid-size and large manufacturers with over 90 percent of them participating in the Dream It. Do It. initiative,” he said. ”We have also launched a teacher work experience program, summer internship program and facilitated the development of a school to work partnership between Cummins and the Dunkirk Public School system. We need to continue to increase the awareness among the students, teachers, counselors and parents about the many strong manufacturers that we have locally and the many different careers available in these organizations.”
Todd Tranum, Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer and president and Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier executive director, said the Dream It. Do It. program is another example of how a private-public-educational partnership can be successful.
”Working together we are getting positive results. We are excited to be part of a partnership of stakeholders working together to expand this initiative to support manufacturers throughout the Western New York region,” he said. ”Specifically, I want to thank the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and Niagara USA for working with us to expand this initiative into Erie and Niagara counties.”
Celoron Plans Next Steps For Waterfront Plan
A conceptual drawing of what the boardwalk may look like…
July 27, 2012 By Dennis Phillips (dphillips@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal Save | Comments (1) | Post a comment |
CELORON – Celoron officials are planning a boardwalk and improvements to Lucille Ball Memorial Park as the first step in its waterfront revitalization plan.
John Keeney, village mayor, said the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program’s implementation committee held its first meeting to discuss bringing to life the village’s waterfront revitalization plan. The plan was created by Peter J. Smith & Company, an architectural consulting firm hired by the village through a state grant.
The state funded village officials $36,000 in January 2010 for a grant that was used toward a development plan for a waterfront project around Lucille Ball Memorial Park. The village received money for work to be done that includes visioning, development of revitalization strategies, conceptual design work for village streetscape improvements and for the actual enhancements to Lucille Ball Memorial Park.
Since the announcement of the grant, village officials and residents have been working toward the development of the park along Chautauqua Lake. With around 700 square feet of waterfront property at the park and 1,500 square feet of lakeshore property near the park, an economic development project is an ideal way to encourage more tourism, officials have said.
Keeney said the committee has decided the first step in the plan should be to construct a boardwalk in the park and to make other improvements.
”They (the committee) want, first of all, an event that would … show people what a boardwalk would look like, not only in the park, but extended down further, and at the same time, improving certain items in the park,” he said. ”Pathways in the park and a boardwalk would be phase one of project one.”
Keeney said the implementation committee has to keep its plans sensible because most grants they could receive would be matching. A matching grant means the village would have to pay half the costs of the project.
”Financially, a small community like ours has to be capable of being able to match funds received for the project,” Keeney said.
Keeney said the next step is to submit a plan to the state’s consolidated grant program. The economic development strategy was implemented for the first time in 2011. The plan created 10 regional councils, which were made up of area leaders who would determine what projects were the most vital for economic success. The councils then applied for state funding under a new consolidated funding formula, which made projects eligible for grant money and tax credits. The combined pool of funding totaled around $800 million.
In December 2011, it was reported Western New York received $100.3 million to improve local infrastructure and create jobs. Specific to Chautauqua County, $5.2 million was allocated as a result of the first year’s consolidated funding application.
”The submission of plans and ideas to the state consolidated grant program … is the next hurdle to get to and to get over,” Keeney said.
Keeney said he is optimistic members of Western New York’s regional council will recognize it is important to grant money to improving Lucille Ball Memorial Park.
”Being on Chautauqua Lake and having public access to the lake I think puts us head and shoulders above other petitioners (grant applicants),” he said.
Chuck2
Congratulations on a deserving project. Celeron is on the way to being a bright spot on our lake. Keep up the good work!
Hanover holds public hearing on proposed development
August 6, 2012
HANOVER – Progress toward the hotel and water park development in Hanover is continuing.
The Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) recently held its public hearing on the development at the Hanover Town Hall.
CCIDA Project Manager and Hearing Officer Kristine Morabito presided over the hearing.
The project was described as the acquisition of 11.6 acres off of Routes 5/20 with the construction of a three-story, 70-room hotel and water park as a tourist destination.
Part of the hearing was on the CCIDA’s “financial assistance” in the way of tax exemptions.
Morabito asked for comments from the audience.
Although it was a small crowd Hanover Planning Board Chairwoman Carol DePasquale and Hanover Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Kevin Waterman expressed their support for the project.
“The town of Hanover has needed a project such as this for a long time. There are many assets in the town of Hanover and this will improve people’s access to the lake … We needed a project that will attract people. There is a lot of things in this end of Chautauqua County that have been overlooked for years and this is going to give it a good start. The members of the planning board are in full support of this project,” DePasquale said.
Waterman said the ZBA also supports the project but is waiting for more information to hold its own public hearing on height variances.
“We’re in support of the project, also. We think it would be great for the community and the area. At this time we are waiting for more information to come through so we can hold a special hearing,” Waterman added.
Waterman asked when the CCIDA board of director would move forward on the project. Morabito said it is up to the board.
No action was taken at the July meeting of the CCIDA board. The next meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Aug. 21 at CCIDA offices, 200 Harrison St. in Jamestown.
Greener is good?
Greenway Plan has major projects in its sights
July 19, 2012By ERIC TICHY , The OBSERVERSave | Comments (6) | Post a comment |
MAYVILLE – The Chautauqua County Greenway Plan won’t be sitting on a shelf collecting dust anytime soon.
In fact, the comprehensive plan nearly two years in the making at a cost of $50,000 already has five projects slated for implementation or review.
“The last plan we had was so old but it was so instrumental,” said Mark Geise, county Planning and Economic Development deputy director. “… This new plan is to ensure Chautauqua County is a destination for outdoor active living and recreation.”
The 162-page Greenway Plan was first mentioned in the county’s Comprehensive Plan, dubbed Chautauqua 20/20. Before that, the last detailed study conducted by the county regarding its greenways was in 1968.
Set to be officially unveiled during a special gathering in Mayville in August, the Greenway Plan has identified 39 “corridors” throughout the county to develop, enhance, or improve recreational greenways. The corridors are broken down into three categories: exceptional, significant and high priorities.
“This is pretty comprehensive,” Geise said. “There’s a lot here.”
Asked how he would recommend delving into the plan, Geise said, “I would tell somebody to start at the third chapter where we discuss what we plan to do to get things done. If they wanted to start somewhere, that is where they should.”
County Executive Greg Edwards said the Greenway Plan should pay dividends to the county, and noted that many projects not yet announced to the public have already been started.
So it’s unlikely, he said, the plan will be thrown on shelf with other discarded studies.
“Well I think over the years many of those plans that have sat on the shelf are typically required of the state,” Edwards said. “The ones we are involved with locally, including the Comprehensive Plan, have paid off many times over.”
He continued, “Many have already expressed excitement for the Greenway Plan, and it hasn’t even been officially released. … I’m grateful for the effort that has been put into this.”
In addition to areas of interest alluded in the plan, 10 projects have been identified as “high priority demonstration projects,” five of which are currently being studied.
During numerous public meetings held in September, Geise said, residents were asked to rank the projects based on impact on the community, ease of completion, potential for impact and value of healthy living.
Projects currently being assessed include:
Overland Trails maintenance improvements, and includes the assessment of the existing maintenance and management of Chautauqua-managed trails. The project also makes recommendations for future maintenance and management improvements.
East- and West-side Overland Trail loops. Geise said he is currently discussing the loops for the trails, which was first brought up in the 1968 greenway study. The project would create short loops at both ends of the East- and West-side Overland Trails.
“Right now when you get to the end of the trails you have no nothing to do but turn right around and go back,” Geise said.
Chautauqua Institution to Barcelona Harbor Trail. A massive connection plan to link numerous communities and parks along new and existing trails. A greenway in Westfield would allow residents and tourists to travel from the village to Barcelona Harbor and Lake Erie Shore to the village of Mayville.
Growing mountain biking in the county. “There is a lot of activity with mountain bikers in the county,” Geise said. “They are their own little niche within our community and we would love to expand that.”
The county, as detailed in the Greenway Plan, may look to expand current bike trails while developing another six to eight miles of trails.
Equestrian trail system expansion, which would build on the planned network of trails in Cherry Creek.
Geise said he plans to formally present the Greenway Plan to the legislature’s Planning and Economic Development and Public Facilities committees before discussing it with lawmakers during their full-body meeting.
Greenway Plan Open For Public Review
February 11, 2012 By Hilary Scott hscott@post-journal.com , The Post-Journal Save | Post a comment |
The Chautauqua County Greenway Plan is currently available for public review and comment.
The idea for the Greenway Plan arose during the adoption of the Chautauqua County Comprehensive Plan (Chautauqua 20/20) in January 2011. The public expressed a desire to preserve and promote the county’s natural resources by connecting the county’s natural, recreational and cultural amenities.
The Chautauqua County Legislature then appropriated funding to create the Greenway Plan, which began development in the spring of 2011. The Greenway Plan is an initiative to create county-wide greenways and trails, and to preserve open spaces for recreation, leisure and ecotourism-based economic development.
A greenway is a corridor of land or water that is managed for multiple purposes, including natural-infrastructure conservation, recreation, stormwater management, community and economic enhancement, and scenic-character protection. The Greenway Plan focuses on several different purposes for the proposed greenways.
Recreation purposes illustrated in the plan include trails for hiking, biking, jogging, horseback riding and snowmobiling, as well as waterways for canoeing and kayaking. Other Chautauqua County greenways are intended to conserve underdeveloped land with important natural and ecological assets, such as forests, wetlands, stream banks and local wildlife.
According to the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development, in a nutshell, the plan answers the questions:
What resources and amenities (natural and manmade) do we currently have?
What resources and amenities do we want to have?
How do we conserve our resources and develop the amenities we want?
A 25-person steering committee, with representatives from various trail and conservation groups from across the county, guided the development of the initiative.
During public meetings in September 2011, the community gave input on the Greewnway Plan, recommending implementation strategies and demonstration projects being included. The next step toward finalizing the plan is receiving community feedback.
When reviewing the plan, the CCDPED recommends that the community pay attention to Chapter 3, as it provides a proposed management structure, action plan and implementation strategies and demonstration projects – key elements to the plan’s success.
The CCDPED urges community members to review the plan and provide as much feedback as possible, as well as to spread the word about the availability of the plan.
“We also need your help in encouraging your colleagues, friends and family to participate – he more people who participate in this initiative, the more ideas we will have to work with, ” said Mark Geise, CCDPED deputy director. “Remember, your input will help to shape the future of Chautauqua County.”
The Greenway Plan can be viewed at www.planningchautauqua.com and is open to public review and comment until Friday, Feb. 17.
After the plan is finalized, it will be implemented by a newly formed group, Friends of Chautauqua County Greenway. The group has established a non-endowment fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation that allows individuals and organizations to make contributions to help support the Greenway Plan initiatives. To donate or learn more about the group, visit www.friendsofchautauquagreenways.org.
County Lawmakers Hear Details Of Greenways Plan
December 17, 2011 By Nicholas L. Dean ndean@post-journal.com , The Post-Journal Save | Comments (2) | Post a comment |
MAYVILLE – Groundwork is ongoing to create a support system for the county’s parks, trails and waterways.
The legislature’s Public Facilities Committee heard recently from Mark Geise, the Deputy Director of Planning and Economic Development.
Geise told the committee of the work being done to complete a county greenways plan – as well as the work being done to create a “Friends of Chautauqua County Greenways” group.
During a recent committee meeting, members learned that the parks department will be reduced to just one employee in 2012.
With only one person on the clock, much parks maintenance work will be impossible to complete. Some parks work, county officials have said, must be done in teams of two – and additionally, one person won’t have the time to address everything.
In follow-up to that meeting, Geise contacted the legislators with information about how the reduction in staffing has been on the planning department’s radar for some time.
The county’s recently completed Comprehensive Plan recognizes the need to “develop a new model for oversight and maintenance of parks, trails and waterways through the county” and the need to “complete a four-season, multi-use greenway trail system throughout the county.”
Geise said Monday that the county’s greenways plan will be completed in early 2012. He also said he hopes the “Friends of Chautauqua County Greenways” group will soon be active.
“We have nearly 100 organizations,” Geise said. “Everyone from Audubon to Rails to Trails to various charitable organizations. We think we’ve got a big group of people that will step up to the plate and become a part of this ‘Friends of Chautauqua County Greenways.’
“Now, I’ve been talking with (County Attorney) Steve Abdella,” Geise continued. “We’ve been talking about how this thing might work in terms of if we had these volunteers, what are the legalities of them doing work on say county land; or on private land with easements; or on state land?”
Geise said county officials are still trying to work through those issues, but are making headway – such as with the legalities regarding state land.
Other information which Geise updated the legislators with on Monday included the news that the “Friends of Chautauqua County Greenways” website is almost ready to go live. Once online, the group’s website would serve as a place where people could make donations or volunteer time and labor to the cause of maintaining the county’s parks and waterways. According to Geise, the forum section as well as the events calendar would serve as a place where people could coordinate parks work and meetings.
“It’s interesting that although this may be our darkest hour,” said Committee Chairman Dick Babbage, R-Bemus Point, “as far as the parks are concerned, there may be certainly light at the end of the tunnel with this equestrian trail and the greenways plan and so forth that we may come out smelling like a rose.”
While the creation of a 501(c)3 had been discussed, Geise said Monday that it might make more sense for the time being to set up an informal, non-endowment pass-through account with the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.
…
Risky Business
Audit Criticizes County IDA; County Officials Fire Back
June 27, 2012 By Eric Tichy (etichy@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal Save | Comments (16) | Post a comment
MAYVILLE – Millions of dollars have been lost by Chautauqua County due to risky investment and questionable management decisions, according to a scathing report released Tuesday by the state comptroller’s office.
County Executive Greg Edwards, meanwhile, doesn’t see it that way, noting that the report does not convey the millions of dollars in additional construction and nearly 200 jobs the development agency has brought into the county.
According to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the county lost nearly $600,000 in revenue after two County Industrial Development Agency bonds “failed to meet expected returns” through October 2011. A half-million dollars was lost in interest revenue and $94,000 was lost in property taxes in those projects.
Another $3.6 million in direct payments is also owed to the county.
“Encouraging economic development in our upstate communities has never been more important. In today’s fiscal climate, however, imprudent investments can have a devastating impact on local taxpayers,” DiNapoli said of his Report of Examination, which studied the county IDA from January 2010 to October 2011.
“Financial risk should not be shifted from businesses and an IDA to the county and its taxpayers,” he continued.
According to DiNapoli, the county IDA in 2000 and 2001 purchased bonds to fund the construction of speculation (spec) buildings in the towns of Sheridan and Busti. Auditors, however, found that payments from the businesses in these spec buildings did not cover the required annual IDA debt payments.
The bond in Sheridan was used in part to develop the Chadwick Bay Industrial Park, while the bond in Busti was used to develop the Stoneman Business Park.
The audit shows the first bond defaulted, causing the county to lose $1.8 million in its fund balance; the county also lost $94,500 in outstanding property taxes.
Edwards, however, criticized the audit report as a “headline grabber,” and noted that he and Bill Daly, county IDA director, were not even in office when the bonds were secured.
The county executive added that two new businesses have moved into the Sheridan location since the report was conducted, while the $1.8 million bond is back on the county’s books.
“The comptroller is focusing on what happened 12 years ago instead of the over $8 million in physical growth and the 185 employees that developed in and around these spec buildings,” Edwards said.
He added, “I think Thomas DiNapoli has an agenda and only Thomas DiNapoli knows what that is. Apparently, supporting economic growth isn’t one of them. That’s unfortunate; I’ve got a job to do and he’s got a job to do.
“I’m pleased to stand by my record and continue to represent and protect the citizens of Chautauqua County.”
Mark Thomas, former county executive, was in office from 1998 to 2006.
Edwards said even with the 2008 recession the economic and job development of the industrial parks have met the expectations of the legislature that approved them in 2000 and 2001. He added that at the time, the $5.3 million in bonds was “minute” in the county’s overall $100 million investment portfolio.
“It’s easy to play armchair quarterback 12 years later. That doesn’t take into account the growth we have had,” Edwards said.
The audit report examined the county’s internal controls relating to real property tax services and the county-owned nursing home. The additional audit findings included:
The county does not have written policies and procedures governing the tax collection process;
County officials could not provide a reasonable explanation for 31 missing tax collection receipts;
County officials failed to reconcile the Real Property Tax Services’ accounts receivable account in a timely manner, which resulted in an adjustment totaling $290,992 to balance the general ledger control account as of December 2010;
A lack of management oversight regarding the billing and collection of payments in lieu of taxes;
Internal controls over the Chautauqua County Home’s prescription drug inventory were not operating effectively;
County officials have not solicited requests for proposals for a consulting pharmacist at the home since 2002, and did not monitor the terms and conditions of the consulting pharmacist contract;
Auditors then made a series of recommendations, including:
The county Legislature should ensure that all investments of county funds are safeguarded and backed by reliable revenue streams;
County legislators should review and approve any changes made to bond agreements, including alterations in security, repayment schedules, and interest rates;
The Real Property Tax Services Director should establish and monitor policies and procedures over the administration of the county’s electronic tax collection system;
County officials should routinely solicit proposals for consulting pharmacy services to help ensure the prudent and economical use of public moneys.
Audit finds county IDA failing to produce returns
June 26, 2012 The OBSERVER Save | Comments (5) | Post a comment |
Chautauqua County has lost nearly $600,000 in revenue and stands to lose another $3.6 million because of risky investments and questionable management decisions, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
After two Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) bonds failed to meet expected returns, the county lost out on $500,000 in interest revenue and $94,000 in property taxes through October 2011. Another $3.6 million in direct payments is still owed to the county.
“Encouraging economic development in our upstate communities has never been more important. In today’s fiscal climate, however, imprudent investments can have a devastating impact on local taxpayers,” said DiNapoli. “Financial risk should not be shifted from businesses and an IDA to the county and its taxpayers.”
In 2000 and 2001, the Chautauqua County Legislature purchased CCIDA bonds to fund the construction of speculation (spec) buildings in the Towns of Sheridan and Busti. Auditors, however, found that payments from the businesses in these spec buildings did not cover the required annual IDA debt payments.
As a result, the first bond defaulted causing the county’s general fund balance to be reduced by $1.8 million. The county also lost $94,500 in outstanding property taxes.
Further, the county stopped receiving principal payments from the second IDA project in February 2010. The county is still owed $1.8 million on this bond. Auditors said there is no guarantee the county will recoup its investment even with reinstatement of principal and interest payments.
The audit also examined the county’s internal controls relating to real property tax services and the county-owned nursing home. The additional audit findings included:
The county does not have written policies and procedures governing the tax collection process;
County officials could not provide a reasonable explanation for 31 missing tax collection receipts;
County officials failed to reconcile the Real Property Tax Services’ accounts receivable account in a timely manner, which resulted in an adjustment totaling $290,992 to balance the general ledger control account as of December 2010;
A lack of management oversight regarding the billing and collection of payments in lieu of taxes;
Internal controls over the Chautauqua County nursing home’s prescription drug inventory were not operating effectively; and
County officials have not solicited requests for proposals for a consulting pharmacist at the nursing home since 2002 and did not monitor the terms and conditions of the consulting pharmacist contract.
Auditors made a series of recommendations, including:
The county Legislature should ensure that all investments of county funds are safeguarded and backed by reliable revenue streams.
County legislators should review and approve any changes made to bond agreements, including alterations in security, repayment schedules, and interest rates.
The Real Property Tax Services Director should establish and monitor policies and procedures over the administration of the county’s electronic tax collection system.
County officials should routinely solicit proposals for consulting pharmacy services to help ensure the prudent and economical use of public moneys.
IDA Report Opens Door For Political Hay
May 23, 2012 The Post-Journal Save | Comments (20) | Post a comment
Taxpayers should not be paying for millions of dollars in tax breaks to attract companies that do little to boost employment and the economy.
According to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, they are doing just that. His recently released report shows that statewide, taxpayers pay more than $2,500 in tax breaks for the average job created under arrangements with an industrial development agency.
But neither should local politicians be using the situation to try to make political hay, as most certainly a trio of county Democrats are doing.
DiNapoli says there is not much of a connection between job growth and the $500 million in tax breaks provided by IDAs operating in municipalities statewide, including right here in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. He reported more than 4,000 businesses were given the tax breaks, but that IDAs realized 22,000 fewer jobs last year than the year before. The cost to taxpayers to create these jobs went up 9 percent over the previous year, he says.
The comptroller has proposed a bill to require clearly described job goals when a tax break is given, and a specific accounting when the tax break expires. If the jobs promised are not created, local governments would be able to recuperate from the company the taxes that were avoided.
For the record, in 2010, the Chautauqua County IDA had 37 projects, totaling $398 million, with $11.7 million in gross tax exemptions and $11.2 million in payments in lieu of taxes, according to DiNapoli’s report. The report indicates that 608 jobs were estimated to be created, 4,012 jobs retained and an estimated net job change of 457.
Knowing a bandwagon when she sees one, Jamestown Democrat Lori Cornell, who is minority leader of the Chautauqua County Legislature, promptly typed out a press release saying she and fellow Democrat Legislators Tom DeJoe of Brocton and Paula DeJoy of Jamestown will ask William Daly, county IDA director, to provide an update to the legislature on job growth through the IDA.
“I don’t think there’s anyone who would argue that jobs and taxes are the most pressing issues in Chautauqua County,” Cornell said.
No. No one would.
Daly welcomes the opportunity to report to the legislature.
“If anyone ever wanted to know what is going on, they can just ask. Our website has all the information as well as the auditor’s report,” he said.
If anyone doubts the intention of the three legislators, we note they will read their letter to Daly at today’s Chautauqua County Legislature meeting. That way, you see, it will be on the record that they asked – and simply asking for information is an important ingredient when making political hay.
In fact, as DiNapoli’s report shows, greater accountability and strict guidelines on IDAs statewide are overdue.
Asking for information to which Chautauqua County legislators should have been paying attention all along anyway has nothing to do with that.
Legislators Ask IDA For Jobs Report
May 22, 2012 By Eric Tichy (etichy@ post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal Save | Comments (2) | Post a comment |
MAYVILLE – Several Chautauqua County legislators plan to call on the county Industrial Development Agency to provide a jobs report in light of a recent report from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
That report, released earlier this month, noted a lack of evidence linking tax breaks from statewide IDAs and job growth.
DiNapoli said as a result of significant tax breaks given to entice and retain local businesses, cities, towns and villages have missed out on million of property tax dollars.
In a news release Monday, Minority Leader Lori Cornell, D-Jamestown, said she, Tom DeJoe, D-Brocton, and Paula DeJoy, D-Jamestown plan to task Bill Daly, county IDA director, to provide an update to the legislature regarding job growth through the IDA.
A communication regarding the report will be read out during Wednesday’s legislature meeting.
“I believe the legislature should be doing everything in its power to focus on the economy and jobs,” DeJoe said. “The people of Chautauqua County deserve a proactive local government that is doing everything possible to reverse our economic decline.”
DeJoe said due to population and student decline, property taxes have increased and business has slowed or moved out of the county. As a result, job loss has been “significant.”
“… And has been the prime factor of the migration of so many people, including students, out of our beautiful county,” he said. “With no replacement factories and businesses, the net result: a declining population of adults and students, abandoned and decaying housing and buildings and higher property taxes.”
Asked if he would be willing to provide the report to the legislature, Daly said, “Oh, Absolutely. We should do it once a year; an annual report is outstanding. We have a lot going on, on a yearly basis, so this would be great.”
“Job retention is just one part of it,” he added. “If anyone ever wanted to know what is going on, they can just ask. Our website has all the information as well as the auditor’s report.”
DeJoy noted county taxpayers deserve the “biggest bang for their buck” when it comes to incentives toward local business development. She alluded to the comptroller’s report, which noted a “low percentage of jobs created versus jobs retained” relative to comparable counties.
According to DiNapoli, in 2010, the Chautauqua County IDA had 37 projects, totaling $398 million, with $11.7 million in gross tax exemptions and $11.2 million in payment in lieu of taxes.
The report indicates that 608 jobs were estimated to be created, with 4,012 jobs to be retained with an estimated net job change of 457.
In Cattaraugus County, 355 jobs were created in 2010 through their IDA, at total cost of $193 million; the report shows no cost per job gained and no total gross tax exemptions.
“I don’t think there’s anyone who would argue that jobs and taxes are the most pressing issues in Chautauqua County,” Cornell said. “We are aware that we are losing many of our most talented people to other areas, our economic base is declining and family sustaining job opportunities are fewer. Strong economic development must include not only the retention of existent businesses, but the growth and attraction of new ones as well.”
State comptroller, local officials disagree over IDA tax breaks
May 5, 2012 By ERIC TICHY – OBSERVER Mayville Bureau Save | Comments (5) | Post a comment |
Do tax breaks result in job growth?
Not nearly enough, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who released his latest analysis of industrial development agencies across New York.
Local officials, however, dispute the comptroller’s findings.
State IDAs are designed to entice and retain jobs statewide, often through tax breaks and incentives. DiNapoli, in his latest report, said little connection between tax breaks and job growth has been found.
Not to mention, he said, counties, cities, towns and villages have missed out on millions of property tax dollars through the deals.
“Taxpayers are not getting enough bang for their buck when it comes to IDAs,” DiNapoli said in a news release. “Residents, particularly those in high-cost regions such as Long Island and the mid-Hudson Valley, have every right to question whether the additional tax breaks are producing promised economic benefits.”
According to the comptroller, IDAs throughout the state offered 4,444 tax breaks to businesses, totaling $500 million in net exemptions. Of those tax breaks, 90 percent accounted for property tax exemptions.
But the comptroller said projects’ cumulative job gains decreased by 22,000 over the prior year. He noted it was the second year in which there appears to be limited correlation between higher tax exemptions and job creation.
Bill Daly, administrative director for the county IDA, however, said DiNapoli’s report only tells one side of the story.
“It’s very deceptive,” Daly said. The IDA “is meant to help retain the people you have. You’re adding jobs, but you’re keeping those jobs. There’s a lot of expansion and expensive machinery. These things are hard to balance off.
“It’s really mainly business retention and expansion. We were able to attract new business while keeping businesses here.”
Daly pointed to the largest project in recent history for the county IDA: the SKF Aeroengine plant in Falconer, which in 2009, opted to stay put and build a state-of-the-art heat treat facility.
“There was a definite risk for them to leave town and go to South Carolina,” he explained. “We kept all those jobs here long into the future. It probably saved 600 jobs.”
County Executive Greg Edwards praised efforts of the county IDA and Daly. Edwards also pointed to SKF as proof of the IDAs success, noting the jobs it has saved.
“The work of the IDA has been essential for Chautauqua County,” Edwards said. “All I need to do is point to SKF as proof of that. Add to that, the IDA has allowed NRG to invest in Dunkirk. It’s the only reasons they talked about keeping jobs.”
There are 14 IDAs in the Western New York region, which includes Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. The IDAs assisted in 812 projects, the largest number of any region, the reports states.
Those projects received tax exemptions totaling $38.6 million, costing taxpayers in an average-sized home an additional $65 in increased taxes.
The largest project in the region was General Motors Corporation’s $501 million renovation and construction project supported by the Erie County IDA.
There are 12 IDAs in operation throughout the Southern Tier region, including a half-dozen counties along the central Pennsylvania border. In 2010, the development agencies assisted in 274 projects – offering $25 million in tax exemptions. The reports says those breaks resulted in a shift of $67 per taxpayer to cover the loss of income.
The largest project in the Southern Tier region to receive assistance was Corning Inc.’s $275 million Sullivan Park research facility renovation and expansion. The project was supported by the Steuben County IDA, which reported gaining 15 jobs per 1,000 residents at a cost of $2,326 per job gained.
DiNapoli said he is pushing a bill that would increase the accountability of IDA operations. The bill would allow taxpayers to analyze their local IDA through annual report cards.
If certain economic goals aren’t met by the business receiving benefits, the comptroller said IDAs could recapture the benefits through a “clawback” system.
“With local tax levy growth now limited, IDAs need to do a better job of highlighting the economic benefits of the projects that receive tax breaks,” DiNapoli said. “My legislative reform package would improve the effectiveness of IDAs while also enhancing their accountability.”
Comments on this story may be sent to editorial@observertoday.com
All Buck And No Bang?
State Comptroller Questions IDA Tax Breaks, Results
May 5, 2012 Save | Comments (5) | Post a comment |
ALBANY — Do tax breaks result in job growth? Not nearly enough, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who released his latest analysis of industrial development agencies across New York….
Would you like to be able to analyze the county IDA through annual report cards?
- 1. Yes
86%
- 2. No
14%
…
Jockeying For Funding
WNY To Compete In Second Regional Economic Development Council Competition
May 9, 2012
By Hilary Scott (hscott@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal
Save | Comments (3) | Post a comment |
Western New York will compete again with nine other regions in the state to gain funding for its projects.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday that up to $750 million will be available as part of a second Regional Economic Development Council competition to support economic development, strategic plan implementation and job creation across the state.
It’s not new funding, but a different way of allocating the state’s funding+, said Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi, Western New York Regional Council member.
Last year, Cuomo launched the 10 Regional Councils and the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA). These innovations transformed the way state invests in economic development and job creation in order, stimulate economic growth through a comprehensive, community-based strategic planning process that identified regionally significant projects through a streamlined application process.
“It’s a more efficient, more inclusive system and will ultimately yield to making better decisions,” said Teresi. “It takes a lot of the politics and discretion out of it. It’s fair and solid, and because it is, it lends to attracting and yielding better applications.”
The state was split into 10 regions that competed for funding for projects, with Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties included in the Western New York region.
Starting with well-thought regional plans and having it be an open process with a consolidated funding application yields to better activities being developed and submitted, he said.
The state was split into 10 regions that competed for funding for projects, with Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties included in the Western New York region.
In December 2011, after months of consideration by the Regional Councils and input at more than 100 public meetings, forums and community workshops, $785 million was awarded for job creation and priority projects consistent with each region’s strategic plans.
The Western New York council was successfully named a best plan awardee, with both Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties receiving about $5 million in the form of Regional Economic Development funds.
Chautauqua County program’s that received funding in 2011 include: Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association Inc., Hospice Chautauqua County Inc. and the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the Dream It, Do It program.
COMPETITIVE IN 2012
According to Teresi, the sense at the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council meeting in Buffalo on Thursday was that the council members expect to be highly competitive in the second round. They think they can and should remain one of the top four for the second year in a row.
“Not to sound overly confident or regionally arrogant about it, but as was demonstrated last year, the five-year plan that was put together by the members of the council in conjunction with a tremendous amount of public input throughout the region, as well as the members of the working subcommittees that respond back to the to the members, they did a tremendous job on the five-year strategy,” he said.
We are expecting a very robust and solid round of applicants from Western New York again, he said.
The Regional Council is starting to update the multi-year plan it created last year and then will begin reviewing applications from the western region and prioritizing them to send to the state later this year.
Teresi said he’s hoping that they will continue to build off of the success from the first round and have an even more successful second round.
In 2012, five awards of $25 million will be made based on the progress the Regional Councils have made implementing their strategies and evolution of their strategic plans.
First, the four regions with the 2011 Best Plans will compete for two awards of up to $25 million each in capital funds. Second, the remaining six regions will compete for three awards of up to $25 million each in capital funds.
The balance of the $25 million in capital will be available for priority projects in remaining five regions. In addition, each region will also be eligible for up to $10 million in Excelsior Tax Credits to help attract and grow business in the region.
County Executive Remains Optimistic
Says Area Remains In Play For Large State Funding
December 19, 2011 By Sharon Turano (sturano@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal Save | Post a comment |
Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards may have been “thrilled” about area projects receiving state funding recently, but he remains excited about “the big project” he thinks is still in the running for a second round of state funding.
About $5 million in state funding was awarded recently for projects in Chautauqua County that were applied for as part of a regional economic development plan. County officials voiced excitement about the awards for the county, along with economic development projects that received money in the Western New York region.
“It is a great award and recognition for hard work people put in,” said Edwards about the projects for which funding was given last week including a grape discovery center, manufacturing, housing projects and more.
He said he remains excited the county is still “in the running” for “the big project” in a second round of funding.
Edwards said the regional councils that developed area strategies for development and applied for project funding within their plans were done for five years. In Western New York, he said, the focus was on “prosperity for Western New York” and sought to highlight the area, where, he said, investment could result in prosperity. He said combined efforts among those in the region were highlighted, with projects chosen last week being able to “open doors” for the next four years for further development to take place.
The gateway center project, he said, is a $20 million project he thinks “continues to be something that could yield dramatic results.”
Edwards said it involves 140 acres in the Ripley area that would introduce visitors to New York state so they may invest here. The project, he said, would feature a welcome center, restaurants, fuel, stores, be an overnight location for truckers and have pre-clearance for them, offering nearby manufacturing and assembly facilities.
He said the average visitor to Niagara Falls invests $53 there, as they come to the region with the idea of visiting one of the seven Wonders of the World. They go to the falls and head out, missing what he thinks Chautauqua County has to offer, along with other areas since they visit with one stated purpose.
Instead, Edwards said, the project could give the visitors reason to pause, learning what is available throughout the region that could make their stay longer and give them more reason to spend here. It would create hundreds of jobs, he said, adding anyone who has reviewed the application for funding for the project have seen the upsides of the project that would see the county, Ripley, the Thruway Authority and private sector work together to advance the area.
Although Edwards said he is unsure when the second round of funding will become available, he said he remains excited about the possibility the project will receive funding.
County Wins Extra Funds
Dunkirk Housing Project Is Biggest Grant
December 9, 2011 The Post-Journal Save | Comments (3) | Post a comment
Western New York will receive $100.3 million from New York state to improve local infrastructure and create jobs.
While the region received more than other regions because it was named by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as a “Best Plan Awardee.” Sam Teresi, Jamestown mayor and member of the regional council, said the four winners each received between $40 to $60 million more than the other six regions, out of $785 million total that was dispersed throughout the state.
“There was an incentive for us to build a good plan because we would be competing for a splitting a pot of about $200 million more than what was going to go to the rest of the regions,” he said. “The long term incentive is that the better the plan that you build now, the better it will serve you in the coming years.”
According to statements by Cuomo, the region is lauded for strengthening research and development, along with investing in “smart growth” infrastructure and attracting more visitors. Teresi said the strategic plan will set the region on a path to “build new innovation, advanced manufacturing and other sectors of the economic around our strengths of health care and education.”
Specific to Chautauqua County, $5.2 million has been allocated as a result of the first year’s consolidated funding application. Teresi said the debut year of the regional councils should be seen as an effort toward working together and less about the local benefactors of the funding round – which is a consolidated lineup of nine state agencies and 29 existing programs.
Said Teresi: “That was what this has always been about within the regions: learning how to work together, building on our strengths, overcoming our weaknesses. In so doing, the 10 regions of the state create a new paradigm and dynamic for how the state should be doing economic development.”
A majority of the county’s share – $3.5 million – is a grant from the state office of Homes and Community Renewal to construct 64 new housing units in the town of Dunkirk. Teresi said Jamestown has benefited from similar state funding in projects such as the Wellman Building and the Erie-Lackawanna Train Station project.
“There will be years in which agencies and projects in Chautauqua County will do disproportionately better,” he said. “To me, this whole process has never been about a scorecard to see who is going to get the most amount of money … it’s about putting together a sustainability plan and a revitalization plan for our region of the state that will serve us over the course of several years.”
LONG-TERM VS. SHORT-TERM
State Assemblyman Andy Goodell, R-Chautauqua County, said the so-called $100 million jobs package for the region actually includes “routine housing funding” rolled into the new funding application process. But he said projects like the Dunkirk example will still provide a short term boost in local employment.
Goodell said a $786,850 project funded under Cattaraugus County will reach into the local economy. Planned is the rehabilitation of a 7.5-mile section of the Southern Tier Extension Railroad near Salamanca.
But Goodell said the railroad, which connects Jamestown to the Hornell, N.Y., junction and other lines, is a “core part of our industrial infrastructure,” providing raw materials for RHI Monofrax, Cummins Engine and Bush Industries.
Inside the county, a private corporation in Silver Creek will have its factory floor expanded with help from Empire State Development. In addition, the state office of Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation is funding $200,000 for the Grape Discovery Center, which Goodell said is three-quarters complete.
“It is part of the overall development of our wine industry,” he added, which will be a driver of both attracting tourism and outward promotion of business. “I think it is a good mix, because you want some short-term jobs give you the immediate kick,” Goodell said referring to the contractors’ building duties.
And he added that while the railroad improvement will likely use few local jobs, its impact on local industry will be vital.
“What is most important from my perspective is long-term employment impact,” Goodell said.
Chautauqua County is also included in a trio of region-wide projects totalling $1.39 million, which support small business retrofits for green technology, job training and advanced manufacturing placement.
The region also retains $15 million in tax credits from the new Excelsior Jobs Program for companies that hire new employees. The six non-awardee regions in the state were each allocated tax credits worth $1.6 million.
Chautauqua, Cattaraugus Counties To Get About $5M Each
December 9, 2011 By Sharon Turano (sturano@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal Save | Comments (4) | Post a comment |
Both Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties will receive about $5 million in the form of Regional Economic Development funds.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo reports the regional economic development council initiative was designed as an effort to “redesign the way the state government works.” He said it would drive economic growth and create jobs by empowering areas to develop plans that invest in regional solutions. The state was split into 10 regions that competed for funding for projects, with Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties included in the Western New York region.
The Western New York council took him up on the offer, being named a best plan awardee when the grants were announced Thursday.
Mayor Sam Teresi sits on the council that put together the region’s strategy and applications, a seat he will continue to hold.
Teresi said the Thursday announcement signified a “successful award,” as the region the county is a part of was one of four funding award winners out of the regions in the state.
“It’s absolutely fantastic,” he said, adding the awards are “great news” for Western New York. “It’s a tremendous example of what can be accomplished when people from all over the region … come together and work together.”
Teresi said the plan recognizes a “two-way street” reflected in activities that were funded by realizing business investment and job creation comes where there is “top-notch” health care, education, housing and arts. He said those things are necessary to “create the dynamic environment businesses want to invest in.”
Bill Daly, chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency administrative director, said the five-county Western New York area Chautauqua County is part of is a large, important one that needs help, adding he was confident funding would be received.
He said the Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association Inc. project, for instance, is expected to draw tourists, adding that is “tremendous.”
He said for years youth have been told manufacturing is not a career option, resulting in them being directed to four-year colleges when advanced manufacturing is being made available through the awards such as Dream It, Do It, a program that reaches out to 16 to 24-year-olds to entice them to make a living in manufacturing with projects like Ascion LLC’s new line of adjustable beds providing those jobs. Ascion LLC also received a grant Thursday.
HOUSING MONEY
Much of the money will be spent on several housing-related projects in the counties. In Chautauqua County, Regan Development Corp.’s Dunkirk Meadows Workforce Housing Development received $3.5 million to build 64 affordable rental housing units for individuals and families in the town of Dunkirk. Additional grants totaling $750,000 will be used by several agencies for home improvement programs in the county.
Meanwhile, Cattaraugus County will receive $1,831,174 for various housing projects, including $749,886 to replace dilapidated mobile home units throughout the county.
GRANT RECIPIENTS – CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
Included in the awards for Chautauqua County was a $3.5 million plan for Ascion LLC will receive $500,000 for a 87,000-square-foot expansion in Silver Creek to accommodate a new line to manufacture adjustable beds.
The Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association Inc. will receive $200,000 to help complete a center that will educate visitors about the historic development of the region and grape growing’s role. Nineteen exhibit panels in its display room and 14 exhibit displays for the reception and gift shop space will be worked on, along with exterior exhibits and an orientation pavilion.
The town of Westfield’s Barcelona hamlet improvement project will receive $200,000 to redevelop the harbor including public parking, lighting, benches, signage, landscaping, pedestrian facilities and waterline infrastructure along Lake Erie.
Hospice Chautauqua County Inc. will get $2,419 to train and educate 28 health aides, practical nurses and registered nurses.
GRANT RECIPIENTS – CATTARAUGUS COUNTY
In Cattaraugus County, $1 million will go to the city of Olean for East State Street reconstruction; $1 million to Olean’s Urban Renewal Agency to redevelop the former Manufacturers Hanover Building on North Union Street and neighboring properties. New line will be laid for the Southern Tier Extension Railroad Authority with $786,850 for a 7.5 mile span between Carrollton and Salamanca.
The city of Olean will also receive funding for the Cattaraugus County-Olean Airport, which will use $630,000 to construct a hangar for small airplanes. A grant of $57,375 will go to the Gowanda Area Redevelopment Corp. to redevelop the former Peter Cooper Landfill superfund site for recreational space and a gateway to Zoar Valley.
Economic Growth
Cuomo Aide Describes Governor’s Three-Part Plan
January 10, 2012 By Sharon Turano (sturano@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal Save | Comments (3) | Post a comment |
Work has really just begun on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plans for New York.
Leecia Eve, deputy secretary for economic development, spoke to Rotary Club of Jamestown members Monday, giving them a glimpse of “Building a New New York,” the 2012 State of the State address. She said Cuomo considers 2011 to have been successful due to closing the deficit, ethics reform, putting a property tax cap in place, attacking unemployment, closing prison beds, opening up New York for business and bringing fairness to taxes, but, she said, there is “much more” that needs to be done.
She outlined a three-part plan specifying economic strength, a progressive future and reimagining government. For instance, she said, $50 billion is spent by tourists coming to New York. To bring more, Cuomo plans on building the largest convention center in the country at the Aqueduct Race Track. Building the center will create jobs, she said.
“If we build it, they will come,” she said.
Regional economic development councils competed for grant money in 2011, with a second round of grant applications coming in 2012.
“Let’s keep the momentum going,” said Ms. Eve. “It’s about jobs, jobs and more jobs.”
Taking the first steps to legalize gambling is on the agenda, she said, as is rebuilding infrastructure since 30 percent of New York’s bridges are deficit, along 83 percent of state parks or environmental conservation areas and 40 percent of its roads. A task force, she said, will be created so all agencies work together to create jobs.
“It’s time to start building,” she said, adding an energy highway is needed too. “We need to connect the dots. We need government that can make it happen.”
While those jobs are being created, she said, that government must also have “fiscal discipline.” Mandate relief, no new taxes, further closing the deficit and pension reform are all areas that will be addressed this year, she said, adding education is also an issue the governor plans to address.
“The future of the state depends on public schools,” she said, adding the governor would like the focus to be on youth, not bureaucracy surrounding their education. Therefore, teacher accountability and evaluations, along with management efficiency, are expected to be addressed.
After dealing with natural disaster during his first year, she said the governor learned of the need for preparation for all kinds of emergencies, adding public safety will be addressed.
Noting New York is “the progressive capital of the nation,” she said financial success is sought as the economic crisis must be resolved.
Foreclosure help, expanding business opportunities for minorities and women-owned businesses is planned as is backing state universities with challenge grants. Despite the steps to move forward already put in place, she said, one in six children do not have enough food, while some are eligible for federal food stamps.
“We need to eliminate the stigma,” of food stamps she said, adding initiatives are planned to do that, expand DNA data bases and reform campaign finances.
Although she told Rotarians of the successes Cuomo said he accomplished last year, “there is more to be done.”
DanNYC
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Jan-10-12 11:40 AM |
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Here’s one Lib Dem who’s just as sceptical of this dog and pony show as you guys are.
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carlaw
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Jan-10-12 6:42 AM |
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You got it Aaron. Soon there will be Regional Leaders (Appointed Political Hacks) not accountable to the voters, who politicians can use both to control and blame. This is the real reason for “Regionalization”. It is not to cut the cost of local government but the power of local government. It is a method for politicians to control the people,not economic development. I can only see increased spending in the Governor’s State of the State, not spending cuts or mandate relief. Even the money for Buffalo is wrong for taxpayers in NYS who are hemorrhaging under the burden of this welfare state. Politicians who support this spending right now are political prostitutes and are betraying the people.
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Aaron1
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Jan-10-12 5:08 AM |
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The Cuomo “Smoke & Mirrors” Team is out in force. It seems he wants to make progress by naming more commissions which only answer to him. This is the same tactic as is used by his friend in DC. Stall the folks waiting for a commission’s report and then bury the report where the sun don’t shine and it be ignored while his Majesty does as he pleases. Cuomo trust on Cuomo and only pretends to be listening; it’s the game that the elite Demos love to play. The only economic growth the Governor worries about is his future position.
Cuomo’s Ambitious Agenda
Goodell Disappointed In Lack Of Specific Job-Creating Measures In?Speech
January 5, 2012 By Nicholas L. Dean (ndean@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal Save | Comments (5) | Post a comment |
The county’s locally-elected state representatives responded positively to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2012 address Wednesday, though they peppered their positive responses with caveats.
Specifically, state Assemblyman Andy Goodell, R-Jamestown, said he liked what he heard but wanted more.
“I agreed with the governor’s themes,” Goodell said, adding that he “was very disappointed that (Gov. Cuomo) didn’t put more emphasis on cutting our spending, cutting costs, making New York state more business competitive and addressing mandate relief.”
Those ideas were touched upon, Goodell said, but not dealt with in detail.
As one example, Goodell said that he thought the governor was absolutely correct in identifying job growth as the state’s top priority.
It was disappointing though, Goodell continued, that the governor didn’t focus on specific recommendations to make the state more business-friendly and business-competitive – and instead focused on “multi-billion dollar public works projects.”
“The future of New York state depends on long-term, sustainable, private sector job growth,” Goodell said. “And the best way to achieve that type of investment in New York state is to bring the business costs in line with the rest of the nation.
“Our top priority, in my opinion,” Goodell continued “needs to be making New York state more business competitive so that more employers can come to Chautauqua County or expand their businesses in Chautauqua County rather than locating their new businesses or their business expansions in other states.”
As a result, Goodell said ensuring such things should be the state’s top priority.
“I was disappointed that the governor didn’t really focus on that,” Goodell said. “Instead, (he) laid out multi-billion dollar proposals for a new convention center in New York City and for casino gambling.”
Similar statements about holding the line on spending were nice, Goodell said, but should have been taken further.
“I think holding the line on spending is just the beginning,” Goodell said. “I think we really need to reduce overall spending and I think we need to do it by bringing our Medicaid and welfare costs with the rest of the nation. We spend more on Medicaid than California, even though California is substantially larger than us. And we rank first in the nation on welfare and Medicaid costs per capita. And of course, our business and our local taxes are the highest in the nation because we spend more than anyone else on welfare and Medicaid.”
Like Goodell, state Sen. Cathy Young, R-Olean, agreed with many of the sentiments in the governor’s State of the State address.
The activation of the Mandate Relief Council, in specific, Sen. Young said is something which she has been pushing for.
“Having hearings around the state to gain citizen and local government input will be invaluable and helpful in getting meaningful reforms,” she said. “It fits in with our fight to change the Medicaid program to give local taxpayers relief, and I am optimistic we can get real results this session.
COUNTY RESPONSE
If at times the governor’s State of the State sounded like a victory lap, that’s all right, said County Executive Greg Edwards on Wednesday. He deserved it.
“He did accomplish a lot of the things that he wanted to accomplish this past year,” Edwards told The Post-Journal. “So that being the case, he did that. He took a victory lap. And that’s fine. He certainly earned it.”
On the points of the governor’s speech, Edwards responded optimistically – more so than Goodell.
Yes, there was word of a convention center being built in New York City. But more importantly to this region, there was also talk of $1 billion being spent in Buffalo.
“That’s our neck of the woods,”Edwards pointed out. It may not be Chautauqua County exactly, but Buffalo is “our neighbor to the north” and “it deserves that kind of attention.”
Edwards continued on to mention the economic development councils and workforce development opportunities where that $1 billion could be spent, saying he is hopeful that areas from across the region agree that initiatives undertaken in Buffalo could be helpful to everyone.
“As a regional leader, I’m thrilled that Buffalo is getting that sort of attention,” Edwards said.
Other items which also caught Edwards’ attention were items such as another round of funding for the economic development councils and a focus on doing coordinated capital construction.
Like Goodell though, Edwards too had concerns about what he heard – and didn’t hear – in the speech.
“The quote of his I wrote down is that we need to be more competitive with lower taxes and I couldn’t agree more,” Edwards said. “My concern is that he only mentioned that the tax cap worked and then made passing comments to more on mandate relief. The frustration there is that the only thing he mentioned with regard to mandate relief was pension reform and that’s great, we need it. But there was not a single mention of the word, not even the word Medicaid – and that’s a $54 billion expense and it wasn’t even mentioned in the whole hour-long conversation.
“I’m pleased he talked about lowering taxes,” Edwards concluded. “He talked about the fact that now that the state’s delivered on the tax cap, that the state needs to do more on mandate relief. I’m looking forward to that. … There are areas we’re going to need to focus and work on. And that’s what I’ll continue to do, is focus and work in areas where I can. I’m hopeful that the governor, the Senate and Assembly continue to work closely together to deliver on some of these tough issues and I’m glad to help where I can.”
marchhare
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Jan-05-12 11:43 AM |
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This is all smoke and mirrors just like when people run for public office and say We are going to reduce taxes by cuts in government. It has never really happen, this program is doomed to failure. Cuomo is typical politican and is not telling the truth. Wake up and understand, we cannot tax out way out of this situation. We have to have deep cuts in government spending but I don’t see this happening in this state because every time they try, people get up in arms saying no not that program!
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DanNYC
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Jan-05-12 11:19 AM |
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I think his pretty severe cuts to the state employees unions last year was a major cost reduction move. Unions may not like it, but it was necessary. That “billion” for Buffalo is nice, but no specifics whatsover. You can throw a billion away on nothing just as easily as you can a million. As far a health care costs are concernec, why not a state wide single payer system, like Vermont’s? That could bring lot of jobs, if employers had to pay less for health care.
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keyastroke
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Jan-05-12 8:09 AM |
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I was sad to hear that a huge 16 acre convention center is to be built in NYC. Is there really no better place to take people from other places than to NYC, What about upstate? I was sad to hear that this is his Jobs plan. This will employ hundreds of construction workers for a year or so and then what? I was glad to hear that there will now be casinos being built. There are casinos and racinos all through NY. If they won’t reduce medicaid costs then they can pay for it through the casino funds.
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DRSFUN
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Jan-05-12 7:39 AM |
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An ambitious agenda is exactly what is needed after such a long time of no agenda. It is time to get thing done in this state.
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Aaron1
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Jan-05-12 6:04 AM |
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Cuomo’s speech was his kickoff speech for the 2016 Presidential election campaign and nothing else. He is trying to fake out the electorate by promising big bucks in the billions that if real the state will need to borrow. Nothing new here folks just the same old games. Making preparations to continue the 3 Men in a Room governance that he has practiced for the past year. No transparency and that was quite clear in this speech; using the magic of promises to get the eyes of the local politicos misty with greed. Continuing to use the excuse of necessity when in fact it’s merely convenience!However, there will be a grand failure of deliverance which will be papered over with excuses if only the folks we sent to Albany will stand and fight for real reform. The TAX CAP was another myth that looks grand but means nothing when the spenders meet in Albany!
1/5/12 How would you rate Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s first year in office?
- 1. Poor
36%
- 2. Adequate
33%
- 3. Above Average
18%
- 4. Excellent
13%
MacKenzie
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Jan-04-12 11:28 PM |
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He’s a statist, who refuses to cut back on any benefits to the “dependency class”. Welfare and medicaid are the best in the country. Welfare received a 10% increase in 2010 in this state and a 6% increase in 2011. When did any government employee receive that kind of raise?
spjlake
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Jan-04-12 6:46 PM |
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I am surprised that Gov. Cuomo has started to realize that government employees are overpaid, and the retirement and other benefits are way above their counterparts in private business.It is time to get this under control and reduce government employees pay and benefits before they run the rest of us out of the state with the high taxes
PleaseWakeUp
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Jan-04-12 4:08 PM |
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I am shocked! I expected all you conservative tea baggers to put him high on the scale…opps, he’s a democrat! You never could support one. Now a shocker for you…. I voted poor because he is the first democrat that I have ever seen that is a puppet of corporate america! Cut government spending, yes. cut government responsibility, yes. reduce government payroll? I agree that certain areas of government may be overpaid, BUT, do we really want to reduce employees who are making twice minimum wage, to companies that will only pay minimum wage? Yep, lets downsize government and let corporate america take over and pay slave labor!
Aaron1
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Jan-04-12 6:00 AM |
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How can it be rated anything but poor since it was based on a lie; no transparency. He has ruled by acts of convenience and called those necessity! A state government fault created by the “3 Men in a Room” governance which is used here in the Empire State! The voters clearly deserve better but will need another eection cycle to correct the problems.
Keeping government bigger
In our neighborhood January 4, 2012 – John D’Agostino Read comments | Post a comment
New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo certainly talks about being more efficient in government, but his actions prove otherwise.
Last month, Cuomo led a charge to increase taxes on the wealthy to boost state revenues instead of reining in state spending. William McGurn of The Wall Street Journal noted the disappointment on Dec. 29 in his “Main Street” column:
“Earlier this year New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was thought of as a Democratic Chris Christie for arguing that government needs to live within its means and not punish those who are successful. No longer: Mr. Cuomo has now pulled out the class-warfare card, justifying a hike on taxes at the top as a way to fund tax relief for those below.”
Cuomo is offering his “State of the State” address this afternoon. It will bring some insight on what new plans — or gimmicks — await state taxpayers and businesses.
Unshackle Upstate Director Speaks At Chamber Meeting
December 16, 2011 The Post-Journal Save | Post a comment |
The Executive Director of Unshackle Upstate told members of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce recently that New York State is making progress on driving down taxes. But Brian Sampson also said there is still much more work to be done.
Speaking at the Chamber’s annual meeting, Sampson said 2011 has been the “best year in decades” for New York state. He applauded Gov. Andrew Cuomo for “leading by example,” and said many state legislators stepped up to improve the business climate in the state by approving the property tax cap earlier this year. Sampson added that the next steps will be to tackle mandate reform.
Sampson outlined Let NY Work: A Common Agenda for the Common Good, an initiative led by 11 business, government, and educational organizations to advance significant mandate relief.
The key points call for:
Making the pension system predictable and affordable
Redefining compulsory arbitration
Freezing step increases when contracts expire
Reducing the costs of construction for public/private projects
Establishing minimum health insurance contribution levels for employees and retirees
Passing legislation which would require a super-majority to enact new unfunded mandates
Organizations driving the Let NY Work agenda include Unshackle Upstate, the Chamber Alliance of New York State, the Business Council of New York State, and the New York State School Boards Association.
During its annual meeting, Chamber members elected Jim Pullan of Jamestown Mattress, Jay Warren of Graf Realty, and Dennis Rak of Double A Vineyards as new board members.
Officers for 2012 are Ken Shearer of Chautauqua Marina, chairman; Jim Pullan, vice chair; Jay Warren, treasurer; Ellen Luczkowiak of HSBC, secretary; and Hans Auer of UBS, past chair.
Continuing their Chamber board service are Ann Abdella, Chautauqua County Health Network; Bill Loomis, Cummins; Larry Ludeman, DFT Communications; and Paul Zebraski, Carriage House.
Appointed representatives from the Community Chambers for 2012 are:
Dunkirk – Stephanie Pulvino, Lake Shore Savings Bank;
Fredonia – Tim Murphy, SUNY Fredonia;
Jamestown – Ann Mason, Time Warner Cable;
Mayville/Chautauqua – Ken Shearer, Chautauqua Marina;
Silver Creek/Irving – Maggie Owen, Putnam Agency;
Westfield/Barcelona – Anthony Pisicoli, Sapore;
The chamber also honored outgoing board members John D’Agostino of the OBSERVER, Greg DeCinque of Jamestown Community College and Doug Mahany of the Putnam Agency. Hans Auer was recognized for his leadership as board chairman for the past two years.
The annual meeting was held at Moon Brook Country Club and was sponsored by DFT Communications, Media One, OBSERVER, and The Post-Journal.
…
County’s Finest In Business
Hoyt Addresses Tax Cap, Regional Councils During Chamber Awards
October 7, 2011 By Dennis Phillips (dphillips@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal Save | Comments (7) | Post a comment |
MAYVILLE – The 2 percent tax cap implemented by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature will have a significant impact on businesses.
That was one of the messages delivered by Sam Hoyt, Western New York Empire State Development Corporation regional president, who was the keynote speaker during the annual Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce awards banquet Thursday in Mayville.
Hoyt, who is a former state Assemblyman, addressed the new 2 percent property tax cap on municipal budgets and the state’s new economic councils. Hoyt oversees efforts to recruit new business, as well as support existing business, for the western region of New York state. Prior to joining Empire State Development, Hoyt served for almost 20 years as the state Assembly representative for the 144th Assembly District in Buffalo.
Hoyt said the new tax cap will have a significant impact to all those living in the state.
”It will have a dramatic impact on homeowners and businesses alike,” he said.
Hoyt said Cuomo is off to a very good start as governor with initiatives like the regional councils and the tax cap. He said the on-time state budget with no tax increase was an important step for the new governor and the state Legislature. The regional president said the new tax cap is vital because of the high property tax bill paid by state homeowners and businesses. He said the median taxpayer in the nation pays $1,917 a year. In New York state, the average taxpayer pays $3,755 a year.
Hoyt said one-third of property taxes are paid by businesses. He said the new tax cap will help save businesses a half-billion dollars a year.
”This is very significant tax relief,” he said.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Hoyt said the 10 regional councils will need their final plans done by Nov. 14. Under the new economic development plan, the 10 councils will apply for state funding to support projects they determine to be part of their regional strategy using a new Consolidated Funding Application, making the projects eligible for grant money and tax credits from dozens of existing programs.
”Who knows a community better than us (who live in the community),” Hoyt said. ”Let us tell Albany what we need.”
Hoyt said the 10 councils will be vying for their share of $800 million in consolidated funding.
”(The new economic development plan) has made it easier for communities … to apply for money from the state government,” he said.
CHAMBER HONOREES
Along with Hoyt’s speech, the chamber honored those in the Chautauqua County who make their communities a better place to live. The chamber presented its Person of the Year Award to Kenneth Strickler of Jamestown. A native of the Pittsburgh area, Strickler owned and operated an office equipment company with offices in Jamestown, Dunkirk and Warren, Pa., for many years. In the mid-1970s, he joined Bankers Trust Company of Western New York and was later employed by Chase Lincoln First Bank. Most recently, he has been director and chairman of the board of the Jamestown Savings Bank.
Strickler has been actively involved in the community in many ways having been a past president of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce. He was chairman of the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County campaign, co-chair of the Lakewood Memorial Library Building Fund and trustee and chairman of the Investment Committee of the Fredonia State College Foundation. He is a member of the Jamestown Rotary Club and First Presbyterian Church.
”I’m humbled and honored to accept this honor,” Strickler said during a video-taped acceptance speech.
The chamber also handed out is Economic Development Award to the State University at Fredonia and its Technology Incubator. During its 2009-10 year, SUNY Fredonia generated more than $370 million in economic activity in Chautauqua County, and its 5,700 students spent more than $43 million in local communities annually. The incubator, located in downtown Dunkirk, represents a further reach into the community to support entrepreneurial endeavors.
In addition, each of the community Chambers of Commerce selected a community service award recipients for 2011. Ann Weidman of Mayville was selected by the Mayville-Chautauqua Chamber of Commerce, Richard Goodman of Dunkirk was selected by the Dunkirk Community Chamber, John Rawlinson was chosen by the Westfield-Barcelona Community Chamber, Mike Metzger of Bemus Point was chosen by the Jamestown Community Chamber of Commerce, Bob Graves was selected by the Greater Silver Creek Area Chamber of Commerce, and Pat Christina was chosen by the Fredonia Community Chamber of Commerce.
‘Significant’ Turnout Seen At Economic Development Forum
September 28, 2011
By Nicholas L. Dean (ndean@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal
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MAYVILLE – A total of 99 individuals turned out for the county’s recent economic development forum.
“That was significant,” said County Executive Greg Edwards of the forum and its turnout. “The conversation was at times very animated, and the give-and-take was very helpful to the commission members.”
In addition to the Chautauqua County forum, Edwards attended both the Allegany and the Cattaraugus counties’ forums.
At each of the three meetings, Edwards said he heard of issues which impact the local economies of each of the three counties.
“I think it focused the attention and reinforced my position in some areas,” Edwards told The Post-Journal on Thursday. “In other areas it further focused me on things that I hadn’t previously had focus – such as the timber industry for example.”
Edwards spoke of how he previously knew of the timber industry’s importance and impact, but not the degree which he heard described at the forums.
The Chautauqua County forum was attended by both of the Regional Council’s co-chairs, Satish Tripathi, president of U.B.; and Howard Zemsky, president of the Larkin Group; as well as David Porter, the Jamestown Cummins plant manager, a Regional Council member like Edwards. Also in attendance were Curt Crandall, the chairman of the Allegany County Board of Supervisors, and Crystal Abers the IDA Director for Catt. Co.
From the local political scene, Edwards said the meeting was attended by Legislature Chairman Fred Croscut, R-Sherman; and legislators Tami Downey, R-Kiantone, and Mark Tarbrake, R-Ellicott, as well as Vince Horrigan, Republican candidate for the Bemus Point legislature seat.
In addition to the work and plan which the forums will bring from the state level, Edwards said the meetings in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties brought leaders from the three counties together and highlighted how similar the needs are between the counties. Edwards spoke of the three counties continuing to look at issues collectively in addition to what’s done through the state as a result of the forums.
“It’s not an us versus them,” Edwards said. “It’s just that where we have commonalities, it makes sense for us to kind of pool our efforts. Ultimately, a plan will be put together and submitted to Albany to address five years of economic development. We’re in this for a longer hall than five years and more than just the two years that these councils will be operating.”
The recent forum held by the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council was held at the Scharmann Theatre at Jamestown Community College. Previous forums had been held at Alfred University and in Olean.
Council To Host Input Session
September 7, 2011
By Jason Rodriguez (jrodriguez@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal
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The public is invited to share its voice in Western New York’s economic future.
On Sept. 13, the Western New York Economic Development Council will have one of its back-to-back workshops at the Robert Lee Scharmann Theater at Jamestown Community College. All of Chautauqua County is invited to this venue.
“I think this is a very necessary step,” said Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi, who is among a team of figures representing the county’s interests in the regional council. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s statewide commission of 10 councils will prompt the creation of five-year plans for economic development in each region – and the chance to earn $200 million in capital funds and tax credits.
Teresi added: “While the governor has done a great job of pulling together leaders from various sectors for each one of these councils … the members of that council do not have a corner on the idea market.”
He said the series of workshops offer third way to “plug people into the process” of an economic future. At the core of the process, Teresi said there exists the broad-based regional council, which has regular meetings each month in Buffalo. Since then, he said the council has broken out into work groups – Teresi is a leading figure in the smart growth and government efficiency board, along with Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and more than a dozen others invited to contribute.
“I thought that would be pretty germaine to my interest area and what I have to offer,” Teresi said, adding that other workshops consider the integration of tourism, education and the health sector.
SWOT
The workshop at JCC follows two others held in Allegany and Cattaraugus counties, and will precede the final two in Erie and Niagara.
The format of the meeting is a facilitated community conversation and will include an overview of the regional council, a discussion of the strategic planning process and will utilize “clicker” technology that will allow the public to have their voices be heard regarding priorities and regional issues.
Teresi said the structure may rely on the SWOT exercise which has been used at the work groups – discussing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the region that may qualify or dissuade a particular suggestion.
County Executive Greg Edwards will moderate the Sept. 13 workshop.
“Our County’s Comprehensive Plan, Chautauqua 20/20, went through many lengths to get the input of our residents as the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Economic Development, held three surveys and over 12 public meetings and hearings,” he said. “Thousands of individuals participated in its process, and although the Governor has given the Regional Council only four months to complete and submit our plan, I am hopeful that residents will once again be a part of future development in Western New York.”
The public sessions will influence the formation of a strategic plan, which must be adopted by a majority of the regional council’s members and be submitted to the state’s Strategic Plan Review Committee by Nov. 14.
To register for the public forum please visit www.nyworks.ny.gov or call 846-8247.
Residents are also encouraged to take part in an online survey at www.nyworks.ny.gov/content/western-new-york.
State plan: Something may still be nothing
August 8, 2011
The OBSERVER
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Trusting that it is a sincere expression of hope and not a vacuous bit of public relations, we say “hear, hear” to an optimistic statement of support for the governor’s newly formed regional economic councils.
The positive assessment comes from Heather Briccetti, acting-president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State.
“By looking at economic development from both a statewide and regional perspective, business and civic leaders will have direct input into how economic incentives, procurement practices, tax relief and mandate relief initiatives are designed,” she said.
Briccetti is talking about the 10 regional councils for economic development set up by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The nature of what these councils are supposed to accomplish is such that it is hard to come up with a simple and direct description. A press release tells us “the regional councils represent a fundamental shift in the state’s approach to economic development, from a top-down development model to a community-based approach that emphasizes regions’ unique assets, harnesses local expertise, and empowers each region to set plans and priorities.”
A handbook produced by the state to guide the volunteer members of the councils talks about comprehensive visions, prioritizing projects, overcoming obstacles, addressing hurdles and incentivizing thoughtful strategic plans.
You get the idea.
One of the first orders of business for the councils, once they figure out their purpose, is to develop a “public participation strategy to aid in development of the initial Strategic Plan.”
You can imagine, then, what skeptics make of the fact that the meetings of the district councils are being held behind closed doors – including our own Western New York council’s session last week.
Even with what we will assume is unintended obfuscation, we are able to identify early on two things that need close watching.
First, each of the 10 regions will compete for an initial $200 million in capital funds and tax credits to “incentivize thoughtful strategic plans that maximize the state’s limited resources.”
Second, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties have been lumped in with Erie and Niagara counties to our north.
If you put those two facts together and realize Erie County is home to nearly twice the population of the other four counties combined, it is not a leap to imagine the inevitable conclusion that the state’s limited resources would be best maximized by economic development centered where the population is heaviest. Rural areas across the state that are paired with urban areas in these regional councils could all be the losers.
That concern aside, we harken back to The Business Council’s optimism.
We add our hope that the governor’s economic development initiative produces more than just a lot of commotion to stir the air.
Councils Give Locals Control
State Unveils Economic Development Plan
July 25, 2011
By Dennis Phillips (dphillips@post-journal.com) , The Post-Journal
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Economic development officials believe regional leadership is the key to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s new economic development strategy.
Cuomo recently said Regional Economic Development Councils will be created for 10 regions in the state. Each of the 10 councils will have four months to develop a five-year strategic plan. Plans will be evaluated according to their vision, strategies, implementation, ability to leverage other resources, performance measures and how well the strategic planning process engages the public and diverse stakeholders.
Under the new process, the 10 councils will be able to apply for state funding to support projects they determine to be part of their regional strategy using a new Consolidated Funding Application, making the projects eligible for grant money and tax credits from dozens of existing programs. The combined pool of funding totals up to $1 billion.
Bill Daly, county Industrial Development Agency director, said the new economic development plan will be successful under the right leadership.
”It will work if the regional councils work,” Daly said. ”They have to put up ideas for people to buy into. We hope the goals in the plan will breakdown regional barriers to make economic development projects better. The regional councils can be a good opportunity to do that.”
Daly said Chautauqua County should be well represented on Western New York’s regional council with County Executive Greg Edwards or a selected representative for the county’s highest elected official. Also, a representative from Jamestown should also be included on the council.
Each council will be chaired by Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy and will be led by two vice chairs from the business and academic community.
Additional membership is comprised of local leaders from business, academia, labor, agriculture, nonprofits and community-based organizations.
Daly said the councils will have to focus on three areas to create a plan for Western New York that will create more and higher paying jobs.
”They will have to work together to create a better workforce, then get money to get businesses to start in the region and then try to capture the intellectual property created in state universities to stay in New York state,” he said.
Heather Briccetti, The Business Council acting-president and chief executive officer, said she is optimistic about Cuomo’s economic plan.
”With a positive legislative session behind us, the business community strongly believes that work remains to be done to lower the cost of government, create private sector jobs and strengthen New York’s economy,” she said. ”The governor’s second phase of his plan for a new New York sends a signal to business leaders that the state is prepared to not only control the cost of government, but to invest in business.”
Ms. Briccetti said, hopefully, the new plan will streamline the economic development process for New York.
”By looking at economic development from both a statewide and regional perspective, business and civic leaders will have direct input into how economic incentives, procurement practices, tax relief and mandate relief initiatives are designed,” she said.
Kenneth Adams, Empire State Development chief executive officer, said Cuomo’s economic development agenda is an opportunity to revitalize the state’s economy and put people back to work.
”It is only with a region-by-region, competitive approach that we will be able to optimize the state’s resources and maximize our potential to create new jobs that will deliver on the promise of sustainable economic growth throughout the state,” he said.
