With television commercials striking fear into county legislators who normally toil in obscurity, there is doubt a PILOT agreement with Big Wind will be voted on tonight at what is expected to be a packed house at the historic county courthouse where they meet.
It seems the argument is over whether it should a 15 year or a 20 year payment in lieu of taxes agreement. If the county board rejects the 20 year deal, it can fall back on 15 and claim that's their standard PILOT and it can be approved by the unelected, and thus unaccountable, JCIDA.
Let me express an opinion shared by more and more people.
The folks are tired of bailouts...tired of transfering of wealth through PILOTS....tired of sales tax abatements that flow straight to the bottom line of the well-to-do. We are sick of slick lawyering to come up with tax avoidance schemes. And we are sick of being told it "creates jobs."
The County Legislature needs to take control.
Watertown Daily Times | Vote on wind farm PILOT up in air
7 comments:
they are not going to take control. It does not matter what they do it's a win,for them. Barry and Ken can run for state office and all they have to say is JCIDA did it not us. Everyone of you have an out and are able to point your finger at someone else.
"and it can be approved by the unelected, and thus unaccountable, JCIDA."
How does an unelected gang get to determine what we can do with our tax money?
Smells to me like the downstate end of a skunk headin' upstate.
It will not be voted on, it is going to be tabled due to the power of the behind the scenes players, like are beloved Mayor, the master of the behind closed door campaign. did anyone remember when certain property was placed into the empire zone so that the developers could get Empire Zone Credits...The Mayor allowed that zoning to be changed and now he is anit economic development...strange.
Your community would do well to heed the mess that's now in place here in Lewis County with regard to the Maple Ridge Wind Farm outside Lowville. With the removal of the Empire Zone Benefits (pending an appeal), the current owners of the Wind Farm are now balking at paying the already low taxes required through the agreed upon PILOT.
So for years now, the taxpayers of the State of New York have basically paid most of the owners taxes through Empire Zone benefits. Pretty nice deal given the huge amount of revenue generated by the farm. They're so damn greedy they can't even pay already minimal taxes out of their own pocket.
Read the fine print and make sure there's a clause somewhere in the PILOT that taxes be paid regardless of Empire Zone status or any other scam program to bilk even more from the public!
If they pass it; what will be the fallout?
Run for office on a platform of "less taxes, few regs, more jobs and I'm a good-ole boy, trust me?"
Cynical - aren't you (yet)?
Good point about the Empire Zone benefits and issues in Lewis County. Has this issue even been raised regarding the PILOT for Gallo island? If not, somebody is seriously dropping the ball at the county level as well as the JCIDA. Or perhaps they're keeping it under wraps in order to shove this thing through? Somebody should be asking these questions.
It all started years ago when people like Mr. Alexander, Mr. Cean, were placed on the JCIDA BOD, There they got access to low cost loans, grants and the like. I can understand helping out a new company, But this is a farce, Check out the minutes of such organizations, they work hand and hand with NOW to peddle tax credits, for uneeded buildings, build and maintain parking lots for these folks "pet projects".
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