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Counterpoint: Part 3 A View from a Reader

The workings of the IDA and its review process

Robert Doherty, Bethel
Posted 12/17/21

To the editor:This is the third in my multipart series on ‘Counterpoint: A View from a Reader’ of the challenges Sullivan County is and will confront over the next several years and the …

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Counterpoint: Part 3 A View from a Reader

The workings of the IDA and its review process

Posted

To the editor:
This is the third in my multipart series on ‘Counterpoint: A View from a Reader’ of the challenges Sullivan County is and will confront over the next several years and the plans I believe will help turn those threats into opportunities.
To my Political detractors I reiterate these are my views as a member of a nine-member legislature and are not intended to even suggest that these are the views of any of my colleagues.
* * *
The Industrial Development Agency (IDA) has been the source of considerable scorn, mostly by those who are uninformed about the authority that body has and the manner in which they go about their business.
Prior to being elected as the District 1 Representative, I too, had some concerns about this agency and [since being elected] have spent considerable time studying their work and seeking a greater understanding of what they do and why they do it.
Simply stated the IDA exists to make Sullivan County a viable and competitive option for those seeking to locate or relocate a business. They are a group of very dedicated and very learned professionals who give selflessly of their time toward the goal of making our County a better place to live, work and raise a family.
* * *
My research into this agency did not completely quell my concerns about their programs and processes and I have taken significant steps to address those concerns and to make the agency more effective. I have reconfigured the Board of Directors of the IDA, eliminating all members of the Legislature who may and have found themselves in the middle of an unescapable conflict between the needs of Sullivan County, the needs of their Districts, their own personal needs and the goals of the IDA.
The Board is currently made up of dedicated volunteers who bring a wealth of professional experience in business and community development as well as a keen awareness of the needs of our County.
This coming week we will conclude the investigatory phase of a review of the Uniform Tax-Exempt Policies (UTEPs) of the IDA, a review which, as Chairman of the Legislature, I insisted upon and I facilitated the process.
The group charged with undertaking this review is a diverse group of business and community leaders from across our County and they have sought input from every municipality and every agency within our county that accepts as its mission, the economic growth of our County.
At this point I have no idea what the recommendations of this Committee will be, but I do know that they have worked diligently for the past couple months to study the current policies of the agency and match them to the needs and goals of our community to ensure that the resources of the IDA are most effectively invested to benefit our Community.
I was compelled to run for the District 1 Legislator seat because of the way our government had been operating. I campaigned on a platform of change, and the voters evidently agreed, handing me a resounding victory over a long-time and popular incumbent.
This mandate by the voters of District I included taking a critical look at how the County spends taxpayers’ dollars – and holding people and organizations – including the Partnership for Economic Development and the IDA accountable.
In the ten years that preceded my election the average local hourly wage has risen an anemic $1.36, while the poverty level also rose from 16.6 percent in 2010 to 18.2 percent in 2013, settling back to 16.2 percent in 2018 essentially back where we were during the Great Recession!
The unemployment levels may be at their lowest ever, but not “all boats have risen.” Plenty of County residents still struggle to support their household bills and pay the taxes on their property. Many residents of Sullivan County have clung to the notion that the IDA is giving huge tax breaks to wealthy corporations which must be balanced on the backs of our hard-working residents.
* * *
Through this review process we have heard from representatives of towns and villages across our County and we recognize that our area affords some considerable opportunities for business seeking to relocate or re-organize.
That must be balanced against the greatest asset we have, which is the natural beauty of our area and its attraction for year-round recreation. [Some of ] Our “main streets” are in deplorable condition and are becoming riddled with crime. Those forced to live in proximity to [these] main streets often are disproportionately victimized by the elevation in crime rates.
Attention must be given to revitalizing our [deteriorating] main streets and restoring them as centers of commerce – a position they enjoyed during the boom years for our Community.
Large projects seeking to become part of our community must agree to include affordable workforce housing to support their project. Recently large-scale projects that have come to our County have had the effect of cannibalizing our limited workforce to the detriment of the very Main Street establishments that have traditionally been at the epicenter of our Community development.
* * *
The current property tax rates pose a significant hurdle to development efforts on Sullivan County. Our neighbors in Pennsylvania can routinely provide a much more attractive financial opportunity for new companies.
Our neighboring counties offer opportunities including proximity to commercial airports, population centers, interstate highways systems and diverse workforce that Sullivan County does not.
The Wurtsboro mountain presents a boundary which, to many seeking a new corporate home, is simply unscalable In plotting the commercial future of our County we must first and foremost preserve the natural beauty that few can match, re-vitalize our Main Streets to restore safety and security to our traditional commercial centers, and address the shortage of workforce housing that has resulted from the recent spike in second-home buyers and temporary rental acquisitions in our County.
The IDA, as it is currently configured is the agency best situated to develop incentive package to accentuate the opportunities in our county while modulating the threats to our future prosperity.
Robert Doherty
Bethel

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