Frustrated by tax breaks, Amherst IDA vice chairwoman resigns

[WNYresident]

Frustrated by tax breaks, Amherst IDA vice chairwoman resigns

The vice chairwoman of the Amherst Industrial Development Agency has resigned after the agency's board approved nearly $1.2 million in tax breaks for what she labeled a "blatantly ineligible" hotel project.

Michele Marconi, who was a critic of the Amherst IDA's practices before her January 2015 appointment to the board, said she is frustrated that she was not able to sway her colleagues to her point of view that the board approves too many lucrative tax breaks to projects that do not substantially benefit the public.

https://buffalonews.com/2018/08/06/a...box=1533570912

[WNYresident]

This was discussed back in 2005


IDA Reform- long overdue

The Erie County Industrial Development Agency on Monday approved a new policy that puts more limits on the type of projects that qualify for tax breaks and requires the agency to sign off on any deal that involves a company moving from Buffalo to the suburbs.

"To some degree, we are narrowing the eligibility of projects," said Andrew J. Rudnick, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership president who led a task force with representatives from five other local IDAs that revised the three-year-old countywide development policy.

https://www.speakupwny.com/forums/sh...ida+tax+breaks

[WNYresident]

May 2005

IDA's



https://www.speakupwny.com/forums/sh...ida+tax+breaks

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

So this woman doesn't like how the IDA runs > runs for a seat > gets shocked the rest of the IDA doesn't share her view > resigns? That's pretty much it right?

Look, it's $1.2 in tax breaks for a project that is critical to secure a line of business not possible currently that would bring a additional $3.2 million economic impacts annually to the area. That's just the one line of US Hockey Sled Divisions. A 5 year old can do the math on that.

Going beyond this new line of business, the TOA has a cost with the Northtown Center that is fixed by and large. Unlike 5 years ago when it didn't have competition, it now faces competition from HarborCenter in Buffalo. This hotel will allow the Northtowns Center to both retain and land new tournaments to the area.

Lastly, the parcel for this hotel is currently tax-exempt. When the hotel is built, the TOA will retain ownership of the land but get $54,600 in annual payments. If just these payments were looked at, the $1.2 in tax breaks is paid for in 22 years. And that's breaks on taxes...meaning more taxes are coming in.

This woman is an idiot.

[WNYresident]

So this woman doesn't like how the IDA runs > runs for a seat > gets shocked the rest of the IDA doesn't share her view > resigns? That's pretty much it right?

Yep. Pretty much on point.

[WNYresident]

Going beyond this new line of business, the TOA has a cost with the Northtown Center that is fixed by and large. Unlike 5 years ago when it didn't have competition, it now faces competition from HarborCenter in Buffalo. This hotel will allow the Northtowns Center to both retain and land new tournaments to the area.

Does the harbor center also get tax breaks? If so I can see where competition needs to be fair. If not why is this one business given a tax break to compete against an arena that doesn't?

[grump]

In my opinion, the main reason she can’t sway anyone to see her way is because she is an obnoxious witch. To know her is to dislike her. People like her are the ones in the vanguard of liberal suburban Democrats who discriminate against low income types and minorities while diguising their goals in the language of “planning”. My guess is the rest of the AIDA board has breathed a huge collective sigh of relief. As for the ECIDA, one need only read the state comptroller’s annual reports to see that ECIDA is among the least effective, least efficient IDA’s in New York State. This situation has only compounded with the ascension of the retard Poloncarz.

[grump]

Poor Kulpa. He praised Marconi for her service on the IDA board. As the shoe shine rag noted, she garnered attention for herself in the Hyatt Hotel approval process. She was vocal about opposing the hotel because of the types of jobs that would be created and the types of people who would fill them. If had been a doctors office building that employed a better class of people she would’ve been fine with it, lest anyone really doubt the motivations of white suburban Democrats who use “planning” jargon to deny opportunity to lower income people. To his credit, Paul Iskalo defended the workers at his facility for their hard work, honesty and dedication. Now Kulpa wants to stake the board with representatives who he state quite clearly have a vested interest in the outcome of projects before the IDA. Proposing the appointment of someone with an obvious and acknowledged conflict is well in keeping with the type of in your face corruption we’ve seen lately flowing from people around the governor.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Does the harbor center also get tax breaks? If so I can see where competition needs to be fair. If not why is this one business given a tax break to compete against an arena that doesn't?

It's the Amherst IDA. It has a mission:

To promote economic diversity, quality employment opportunities and to broaden the tax base of the Town of Amherst in order to reduce the tax burden on [Amherst] homeowners, while helping to maintain and enhance a high-quality living environment [in Amherst].

Nothing in life is fair. The City of Buffalo does not consider what Amherst needs or wants when it makes decisions. Why should Amherst consider Buffalo? The reason you give a project in Amherst a tax break is that in the long run, it helps Amherst.

As I said below, the $1.2 million in breaks given to this project is going to covered by just the land lease over time. Then you add in the $3.2 million in direct spending and it's literally a no-brainer.

[WNYresident]

To promote economic diversity, quality employment opportunities and to broaden the tax base of the Town of Amherst in order to reduce the tax burden on [Amherst] homeowners, while helping to maintain and enhance a high-quality living environment [in Amherst].

That's not what happened in Cheektowaga.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

That's not what happened in Cheektowaga.

There you go thinking what happens in Cheektowaga is in the best interest of Cheektowaga taxpayers.

[grump]

Cheektowaga doesn’t have an IDA, does it? If not, too late now.