LIDA forgave $150,000 loan VLCDC

[gorja]

According to the minutes of the Lancaster IDA, July 14th meeting-



Of course, they still had more money to give away, not needed to entice industrial development

[4248]

Sorry - to say - I brought up the facts that under IDA Chairman/Supervisor Bob Giza - the Lancaster IDA was routinely forgiving parts of the BOCCE Building loan.

While local Officials were being paid to manage and maintain the building - it was left to rot. The Building was deemed unsafe and torn down !

There should have and it was called for many time - a full accounting of all the finances. They took out new loans after claiming not to be able to pay the IDA - not once - but a couple of times.

There was also a private investor 14 years ago who wanted to buy it - the Village C.D.C. with the help of Supervisor/IDA Chairman Bob Giza blocked the man so the Village could buy it.

These facts were exposed here on Speakupwny many times.

[gorja]

Sorry - to say - I brought up the facts that under IDA Chairman/Supervisor Bob Giza - the Lancaster IDA was routinely forgiving parts of the BOCCE Building loan.

While local Officials were being paid to manage and maintain the building - it was left to rot. The Building was deemed unsafe and torn down !

There should have and it was called for many time - a full accounting of all the finances. They took out new loans after claiming not to be able to pay the IDA - not once - but a couple of times.

There was also a private investor 14 years ago who wanted to buy it - the Village C.D.C. with the help of Supervisor/IDA Chairman Bob Giza blocked the man so the Village could buy it.

These facts were exposed here on Speakupwny many times.

I agree but another wrong doesn't make a right

[4248]

You are correct -

This is just exposing another reason for openness in Government and one of the better reasons the IDA should be shut down.

Supervisor Foduli is going by info he has now - I am quite sure he didn't go back and do a audit of their dealings for the last 14 years.

Maybe he should have ordered a audit -

The point is this is how arrogant our Town and Village Government has been.

In the beginning they wouldn't even identify publicly who the members of the Village VLCDC were - they called it a "Arm of the Village Government"(do a search here and find many discussions about that)

They didn't expose when asked who made up this Board - then when they bought the BOCCE Building - the IDA Chairman/Town Supervisor Bob Giza even arranged to finance the down payment and mortgage.

Then soon after other officials(tax funded employees) were hired/paid to do maintenance work - that was also hidden - one still works in the building inspectors office.

Even with all that money flowing to insiders - they were routinely forgiven parts of the mortgage - this allowed them to get more loans.

If people were paid to manage and maintain - how does the building fall into such a state of disrepair - so bad the Fire Chief stated it was unsafe to "Enter" ? ! ?

Then to add insult t injury - they use tax dollars to tear it down.

This whole thing should be investigated . Why just keep hiding the truth ?

The Dem Controllers have used our Town Hall and IDA like one big tax subsidized Good will patronage machine -

[gorja]

You are correct -

This is just exposing another reason for openness in Government and one of the better reasons the IDA should be shut down.

Supervisor Foduli is going by info he has now - I am quite sure he didn't go back and do a audit of their dealings for the last 14 years.

Maybe he should have ordered a audit -

The point is this is how arrogant our Town and Village Government has been.

In the beginning they wouldn't even identify publicly who the members of the Village VLCDC were - they called it a "Arm of the Village Government"(do a search here and find many discussions about that)

They didn't expose when asked who made up this Board - then when they bought the BOCCE Building - the IDA Chairman/Town Supervisor Bob Giza even arranged to finance the down payment and mortgage.

Then soon after other officials(tax funded employees) were hired/paid to do maintenance work - that was also hidden - one still works in the building inspectors office.

Even with all that money flowing to insiders - they were routinely forgiven parts of the mortgage - this allowed them to get more loans.

If people were paid to manage and maintain - how does the building fall into such a state of disrepair - so bad the Fire Chief stated it was unsafe to "Enter" ? ! ?

Then to add insult t injury - they use tax dollars to tear it down.

This whole thing should be investigated . Why just keep hiding the truth ?

The Dem Controllers have used our Town Hall and IDA like one big tax subsidized Good will patronage machine -

I agree. The VLCDC and the LIDA should both be audited by non-locals

[Greg Sojka]

Ken Graber is into many things, what are his qualifications for being on this board???? Google Graber vs Victory . Hope he remembers to read and comprehend .

[gorja]

Ken Graber is into many things, what are his qualifications for being on this board???? Google Graber vs Victory . Hope he remembers to read and comprehend .

Don't know anything about the Pataki case.
I do know Graber wasn't alone in not comprehending the LIDAs mission, , Kurtzman, LoCicero, Nunan and Fudoli also were.

[4248]

The Town Supervisor and other Political figures should not be Controlling the IDA - its asking for trouble.

Its a no win political and a no win when trying to avoid appearances of collusion.

Just as the Supervisor in his official capacity should have no interactions in school Board affairs.

As far as the Victory situation - one could easily see how so much influenced the release of a Cop killer - yet the law is the law - Mr.Graber got stung !

[gorja]

The Town Supervisor and other Political figures should not be Controlling the IDA - its asking for trouble.

Its a no win political and a no win when trying to avoid appearances of collusion.

Just as the Supervisor in his official capacity should have no interactions in school Board affairs.

As far as the Victory situation - one could easily see how so much influenced the release of a Cop killer - yet the law is the law - Mr.Graber got stung !

You're starting to make too much sense. I have no response

[Greg Sojka]

Lancaster bus garage lawsuits , New York State lawsuits , and the bill gets picked up by all of us. Kenny !! witness, prosecutor,and judge OHHH my ! Wise choice not running for supervisor of Lancaster .

[Lee Chowaniec]

A different perspective

Economic development agencies are here to stay, like it or not.

If Lancaster or the other four towns did not have their own Industrial Development Agencies (IDA), the towns would be subjected to the whims and handouts of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA), or worse the state’s development programs.

If the state had no development agency, other states would eat our lunch in attracting businesses into their states. Mr. Poloncarz and/or Governor Cuomo would love to pick up the $1.2 million the LIDA has in its fund balance and is the reason both county and state agencies are putting more and more restrictive limits on how the agency can spend its own money – not taxpayer money.

The mission statement presented and the LIDA’S function to provide economic assistance has nothing to do with the funding that was presented to the Village of Depew to update the Fireman Park gazebo, nor the forgiveness of the Village of Lancaster loan of $150,000 that came out of the coffers of the LIDA. Again, both actions taken with no cost to the taxpayer as the LIDA is spending its money earned through brokering approved development projects. Don’t confuse the one entity with the other.

To equate the workings of the LIDA to that of the administration prior to Supervisor Fudoli taking over his LIDA leadership is disingenuous. Under Giza many more PILOTS were issued, and for undeserving projects such as retail, successful businesses that were not positioning their need on the threat of leaving and should not have qualified for an IDA, for three IDA’S for the Lancaster Airport expansion with no job creation stated on the application and over $15 million in grant monies received from the FAA and the state, etc.

Fudoli changed the direction of the LIDA were less than half the application grants involve PILOTS and where many applicants who formerly were eligible for an IDA are no longer eligible for approval.

The LIDA now uses an IMPLAN Pro software modeling economic impact analysis program to measure new investment in the Town of Lancaster. It is a widely accepted software application and an industry standard for economic impact modeling measuring employment and salary impacts and facility output on the community for a given project - a much more credible process for determining project merit.

You make not like the idea of an economic development agency in any light, but they are here to stay; a necessary evil to some.

[gorja]

Originally posted by Lee Chowaniec:
The mission statement presented and the LIDA’S function to provide economic assistance has nothing to do with the funding that was presented to the Village of Depew to update the Fireman Park gazebo, nor the forgiveness of the Village of Lancaster loan of $150,000 that came out of the coffers of the LIDA. Again, both actions taken with no cost to the taxpayer as the LIDA is spending its money earned through brokering approved development projects. Don’t confuse the one entity with the other.

From the 2011 ABO report

The General Municipal Law gives IDAs the authority to grant or loan funds received under federal or state funding programs, for purposes consistent with those programs, “the statute does not specifically confer on IDAs the power to make outright grants, gifts or contributions from their own funds for such purposes".

An IDA funding decision should be made with the expectation that the IDA would receive an explicit benefit that advances its mission and purpose, and is not made for marketing or public relations purposes.

[gorja]

Originally posted by Greg Sojka:
Wise choice not running for supervisor of Lancaster .

I agree and Frank Fialkiewicz should still be on the LIDA board not Graber

[gorja]

Approved during the Giza era -

2010
Lancaster IDA
# of projects approved 6
Value of Net exemptions 2010-14 $658,992
Projected jobs to be created 143
Net employment change 2010-14 96
Difference between jobs created and jobs promised (47)

Lancaster IDA staff compensation

2010 staff 0 compensation 0
2011 staff 1 compensation $6,132
2012 staff 2 compensation $9,293
2013 staff 2 compensation $11,419
2014 staff 2 compensation $11,423

Lancaster IDA debt

2010- 46.68 million
2011- 44.4 million
2012- 37 million
2013- 35.8 million
2014- 32.34 million
Percent change 2010-14- (30.71)

The Lancaster IDAs operating expenses in 2014 were down 13.87% from 2010's expenses.

The VLCDC is again late with their reports.
According to the July 2015 annual report, they have yet to submit their annual report due 8/31/2014, their audit report due 8/31/2014 and their budget report due 4/1/2015.

A $39,502 bonus was paid to Title- Business development officer at the ECIDA

[Lee Chowaniec]

From the 2011 ABO report

Does this requirement hold the same for the LIDA assisting the Villages within its boundaries to reduce blight in the one and allow the other loan abolishment to move a project along?

Do you feel the money spent was irresponsible considering it was LIDA funds used for Village improvements?