Collins questions Fantasy Island request

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Does Darien Lake get taxpayers money? Why should the County pay for a baby amusement park, when we have bigger fish to fry?

Care to mention what some of the fish are?

[Diane B!]

If they closed Fantasy Island it would this old abandon amusement park like in the movies, all creepy! I bet a lot of murders would happen there too, just like the movies.

Western New York really can't afford to see one more abandoned anything. We are looking like a ghost town already. The amusement park has been a tradition for years. I say we do what we can to keep it alive. It's in a great location (near the Falls and not far from the City of Buffalo).

[NoCtUrNaL]

Where do I sign up for my spot at the grants and tax abatements/exemptions trough?

[concernedwnyer]

Western New York really can't afford to see one more abandoned anything. We are looking like a ghost town already. The amusement park has been a tradition for years. I say we do what we can to keep it alive. It's in a great location (near the Falls and not far from the City of Buffalo).

840 thousand dollars for two amusement attractins is nothing.. Most amusement rides are over a millon each. Even used rides go for higher prices so why is Martin having a tommy ache of the request of erie county to fund its latest attraction??? I am surprised that park is still around. It is small and there is almost no more expansion room. I know, the kiddies love the place. More cotton candy stuck in the hair.

[Aaron O'Brian]

Care to mention what some of the fish are?

How about a functioning County?

[cookie]

This might be unpopular, but I think if a business wants incentives, they should open their books to an audit. This is the third time they have asked. If they are not viable, why dump money and prolong things? If they are mismanaging their money, it's their business, but don't ask taxpayers to feed their bad habits.
On the other hand, if they are viable and it is a one-time boost to get them through a difficult time, great, give them a break.


I'm also thinking there should be some kind of "time-out" between requests by the same company, like only 1 request per xx amount of months/years.

I hope many other requests are met in the same business-like manner.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

How about a functioning County?

And just what is a functioning county? A big robust county government or a collection of businesses that are seeing investment and production.

Just curious what you see is the big ticket items and what is needed to make it right.

[Northshore]

If they closed Fantasy Island it would this old abandon amusement park like in the movies, all creepy! I bet a lot of murders would happen there too, just like the movies.

Not with that dollar toll!

Serial killers are notoriously cheap!

[Aaron O'Brian]

Not with that dollar toll!

Serial killers are notoriously cheap!

I guess it'll only be Grand Island residence serial killers. No vampires, seeing that they can't cross moving water.

[Aaron O'Brian]

And just what is a functioning county? A big robust county government or a collection of businesses that are seeing investment and production.

Just curious what you see is the big ticket items and what is needed to make it right.

I see a functioning county as being able to pay its county workers, sheriff department and fund county works. I think Erie county is turning the corner financially but it not out of the clear yet.

I see it the same way when the federal government pays out to failing corporations like the airlines. It's hard to argue why those companies should get tax payers money for the companies mistakes and poor management.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

I see a functioning county as being able to pay its county workers, sheriff department and fund county works. I think Erie county is turning the corner financially but it not out of the clear yet.

Well if you really look at the numbers, the county has enough money to pay enough workers for the county to function. The challenge is the county has too many workers and not enough to go around with the bloated payroll. Compare Erie County to fiscally responsible counties and you will see other places do more with less.

The notion that there is not enough money to get by is false. There is simply not enough to be wasteful and that is the challenge.

A prime example is Clarence and the Sheriff's department. A town that size should fund their police force. Either by paying Amherst for services or funding their own, something Amherst did decades ago when it was a similar size. However, Clarence likes to not have this fee and thus overuses their "share" of the sheriff's department causing it to be considered "thin" if you will.

I see it the same way when the federal government pays out to failing corporations like the airlines. It's hard to argue why those companies should get tax payers money for the companies mistakes and poor management.

It is true there has been plenty of waste but as long as the government wants to have a say in the airlines, or at least more of a say then they should, the airlines have the right to ask for aid.

An example of this is the potential Delta/Northwest merger. This is an attempt for airlines to trim the fat and be more productive. However this could lead to higher ticket prices and less flights. Two items that the public government will try and control in a private business.

[Aaron O'Brian]

Well if you really look at the numbers, the county has enough money to pay enough workers for the county to function. The challenge is the county has too many workers and not enough to go around with the bloated payroll. Compare Erie County to fiscally responsible counties and you will see other places do more with less.

The notion that there is not enough money to get by is false. There is simply not enough to be wasteful and that is the challenge.

All good points. That's what I'm hoping Collins works on during his time in office.

[keyboard150]

I agree with Collins. Fantasy Island sucks up millions of dollars every summer I'm sure. A lot of it is taxpayer money, and a lot of it is money from people out of area. (KOA campground has many out-of-towners that stay there)

I'm sorry, but with the amount of money the citizens of this county throw at Martins, I think they can handle an 87,000 dollar sales tax payment.

Just my thoughts. I'm getting a little irritated with all the corporate handouts, especially to the entities that don't need it. Fantasy Island is open what, 5 months of the year TOPS? I'm sure there isn't much of an economic impact one way or the other. (On the other hand, I'm sure it is for Grand Island) They can throw some money our way for once.

[run4it]

Look at it from a book balance point of view:

Are the taxes collected from salaries, sales, etc that would be lost of greater value than the $87k the county would be out for the property tax? I don't know the answer...anyone have financials on the place?

(if you want to get really technical, the county would claim even more of a loss with a closed park, as the assessed value and taxes would go down...but we don't need to convolute the thing)

[WNYresident]

Look at it from a book balance point of view:

Are the taxes collected from salaries, sales, etc that would be lost of greater value than the $87k the county would be out for the property tax? I don't know the answer...anyone have financials on the place?

(if you want to get really technical, the county would claim even more of a loss with a closed park, as the assessed value and taxes would go down...but we don't need to convolute the thing)

remember this isn't giving up an ongoing income stream. They don't buy the rides there's no sales tax to be gotten anyways. This isn't like they are asking to have thier property tax rates reduced like a lot of developers do who build strip plaza's in our community.