Fantasy Island verses real jobs

In this mornings BUF News, there was a good reason why all the 'industrial development agengies' that impact WNY need to merge so they prioritize the tax breaks handed out.

One article shows how Fantasy Island is getting a $74,000 tax break, that they didn't really need as they would have put the ride in regardless.
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/274326.html

The other article talks about state tax credits being delayed for Niagara Transformer on Duke Rd. Cheektowaga that may cause the company to move to N. Carolina with 54-68 jobs (that probably pay pretty well). The owner wants to keep the company here and expand, and the government beuracracy may screw things up.
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/274326.html

It appears you have Erie County IDA, NY state and town of Cheektowaga all involed yet not one person is responsible for overseeing this request in an timely manner.

I think looking at requests from a company that provides good paying jobs and wants to expand in WNY is more important than giving tax breaks to an amusement park that is not going anywhere.

More goverment mis-management.

If the politicians in NYS would just lower the taxes for businesses, we wouldn't need all these IDA's and the idiots who run them.

This is a very good post. Collins was right in wanting to deny Fantasy Island.

Everyone else was willing to give them the abatement, well, you know "just because." It's Fantasy Island, after all, we've all been there with our kids - let's give them a break. That's BS, and Collins saw right through it.

Meanwhile, companies like Niagara Transformer seem to be getting the runaround.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bornandraised

The other article talks about state tax credits being delayed for Niagara Transformer on Duke Rd. Cheektowaga that may cause the company to move to N. Carolina with 54-68 jobs (that probably pay pretty well). The owner wants to keep the company here and expand, and the government beuracracy may screw things up.
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/274326.html

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The correct link for the Niagara Transformer article is:
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/274328.html

Sorry for the typo. Too much cutting and pasting :)

http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/e...ry/281271.html

IDAs need to merge, prioritize tax breaks

Updated: 02/21/08 6:41 AM

In the Feb. 12 News, there were two articles that emphasized why all of the industrial development agencies that impact Western New York need to merge so that they can prioritize the tax breaks and incentives that are handed out.

One article discussed how Fantasy Island received a $74,000 tax break that it didn’t really need, because it planned to put in the amusement rides regardless. The other article talked about state tax credits being delayed for Niagara Transformer on Duke Road in Cheektowaga, which may cause the company to move to North Carolina with 54 to 68 good-paying jobs. The owner wants to keep the company here and start a $6 million expansion, but government bureaucracy seems to be pushing him out of the area. The Erie County IDA, New York State and the Town of Cheektowaga are all involved, yet not one person is responsible for overseeing this request in a timely manner. All of these agencies should be managed by one person and become one entity, not the current piecemeal approach.

Looking at requests from a company that provides good-paying jobs and wants to expand in Western New York is more important than giving tax breaks to an amusement park that is not going anywhere.

Looking at how things are usually done in this area, even if they did all agree to merge, it would probably take years to get everything ironed out. In the meantime, how many businesses might just decide to not wait around and go elsewhere?
I really hate the idea of adding people/positions all over the place, but it seems like this would be a good place for someone to act as a "project manager" type of thing. All requests going to that person, who makes sure it gets acted on by the proper agencies.
I guess if Niagara Transformer is the only one having this kind of trouble, it wouldn't be very cost effective, but are they the only one having trouble?

Also, I see projects listed on the IDA website, but they are confusing as to which are done deals and which are just applications and which are in process. Isn't there some kind of year end report that spells out what's spent, on whom, how many jobs involved and also a follow up on if what is promised to get the funds and abatements are actually being fulfilled?