OH! What Have We Here?

Dear Nieces and Nephews, Your Auntie was worried. Auntie and the Team were losing sleep thinking that the businesses in Orange County did not have enough assistance or incentives. But, look! Never Fear! There is plenty of help available! No redundancy here!!! 

We were also worried that the persons in charge of these entities providing incentives were not fairly compensated. But no fear of that!

We have the  Orange County Partnership,  Orange County Business Accelerator and the Orange County Industrial Development Agency  (This does not include the regional and state programs/agencies.) We will have more on these first two at a later date; but let's take a look at the OC IDA and who is involved.

From the IDA website:

"The Orange County Industrial Development Agency, a public benefit corporation organized under Article 18-A of the General Municipal Law of the State of New York, provides assistance to qualified companies through a program of incentives."

Reviewing the state statute reveals some interesting 'capabilities' for the IDA.

General Municipal Law

Article 18A

Title 1

§  858. Purposes and powers of the agency.  The purposes of the agency

  shall be to promote, develop, encourage and assist in the acquiring,

  constructing, reconstructing, improving, maintaining,  equipping  and

  furnishing industrial, manufacturing, warehousing, commercial,research

  and recreation facilities  including  industrial  pollution  control

  facilities, educational or cultural  facilities,  railroad  facilities,

  horse racing  facilities,  automobile  racing facilities and continuing

  care retirement  communities,  provided,  however,  that,  of  agencies

  governed by  this  article,  only agencies created for the benefit of a

  county and the agency created for the benefit of the city  of  New  York

  shall be authorized to provide financial assistance in any respect to a

  continuing care  retirement  community,  and  thereby  advance  the  job 

  opportunities, health,  general  prosperity and economic welfare of the

  people of the  state  of  New  York  and  to  improve  their  recreation

  opportunities, prosperity  and standard of living; and to carry out the

  aforesaid purposes, each agency shall have the following powers:

There is a list of 17 specific powers and duties but this last one should give you pause:

(17)  To do all things necessary or  convenient  to carry out its

  purposes and exercise the powers expressly given in this title.

This includes payments in lieu of taxes, accepting gifts and grants from any municipality, public or private corporation or legal entity and powers of eminent domain.

Scared yet?

But wait! What have we here? (Somewhere in the recesses of your mind is a drumroll!)

 

Jim (“What’s Wrong with You People?”) Petro!!!!  http://www.recordonline.com/article/20150110/NEWS/150119945/101010

PETRO is the PART TIME executive director of the IDA for 1,000 hours of work annually. He is now being paid $80,000/yr for 1,000 hours of work in a year! Wow! $80/hour!

This former, “Appointed-couldn’t-get-elected” legislator with the sensitivity of a garbage disposal, explains that the public doesn’t understand the need for incentives that affect mortgage and sales taxes. Yes, how could the stupid public understand such complexities? How could the editors of the THRecord understand when they asked who determines the  true effect of incentives on the community and established businesses?

 

   Jim Petro is also a PART TIME Planning/Zoning Coordinator and Property Development Manager for the Town of New Windsor NY. What in the World is a Planning/Zoning Coordinator? And a Property Development Manager? Why does a Town need those in addition to the usual departments and department heads?

Ah well, it is nice to see that the businesses have such good care in Orange County. Yes, having a good business environment does contribute to the overall well-being of a community. If you do not have thriving businesses, you don't have much of a community.

But let’s hope that homeless children in Orange County have as many resources. Let's hope that they have more than just the overworked employees of understaffed departments that the County Executive is looking to consolidate. http://www.recordonline.com/article/20150103/NEWS/150109814/0/