Lobbying and stroking is going on in advance of tomorrow night's meeting of the Jefferson County Legislature's Rules and Finance Committee. On the docket, the Galloo Island Wind Pilot and no matter what happens at the committee level, the measure will go to the full board next week.
More tidbits are coming out about what will be built on the island in addition to all those wind mills. There will be 23 homes built for workers along with a health club and a helipad. All of it tax-exempt under the auspices of the County's Industrial Development Agency.
Those in favor of the PILOT agreement dismiss opponents as misinformed and not understanding the economics of the project.
Those against argue the project is already heavily subsidized and that communities throughout the county should not lose out on their chance to share in the economic activity resulting from the half billion dollar project. At issue is sales tax which if lost will deny municipalities from Antwerp to Worth their share of the tax. A share guarenteed by a deal ratified in 2004 by the County Legislature.
A high powered lawyer for Big Wind is busy lobbying, trying to convince lawmakers they are doing a good thing by granting the massive exemptions.
For attorney Robert Bergdorf its a case of selling not the merits of wind....but instead selling self esteem to local lawmakers anxious to say they have "created" jobs. Tuesday night will be the first chance to guage just how good a salesman he is.
12 comments:
I see the WLDC is establishing a line of credit for NOW for the Social Security bldg. and the other 2 bldgs. "gifted" to NOW, Is this the same type of arrangement that will bypass the sales tax????
What's your point ?
Maybe that Berndorpp guy is selling self esteem. But that's no different than what Obama was selling last election cycle with all his green this and that, and tax breaks for wind and sunflowers and whatever other energy snake oil he was selling. People liked it then, as it was fashionable to hate big oi. Now it's fashionable to hate big wind, at least locally, at least temporarily. Keeping up with fashion is a full time job, eh Wiley?
Everybody always complains that businesses are leaving the state because they are taxed so much. Yet, when we ease up on the taxes and give some subsidies to invite business, the local communities start drooling over that subsidy and the taxes they can suck out of the business.
At least we know that, when it comes to driving business away, our local municipalities are on the same page as the state.
If they pass the pilot we will remember this come election time especially all you that are seeking possibly assembly or senate seats!
If they drive another business away because of their thirst for taxes, we will also remember this come election time.
Has anyone paid attention to the fact that, with all these so called "tax breaks", we the people are always left "holding the bag", which in turn causes our own taxes to increase, causing us to go to places like Walmart, who tell us to "save money, shop smart", while they ship out jobs to China, for pennies, then charge us a good chunk of money. If this wind project is such a good deal,financially, tell me why they can"t pay thier way like a responsible corporate company, instead of trying to cheat "we, the people" and I do stress "we".
noone will remember come election day
"Yet, when we ease up on the taxes and give some subsidies to invite business,"
This was not a PILOT set up to invite business as PILOTs were intended to do.
BFW was not invited. BFW came here after they were thrown out of Long Island, Cape Cod, along the Hudson and other places that did not want BFW. Our politicians, in keeping with the tradition of appeasing Downstate, did nothing to protect us against it or nothing to give us the best deal.
There is no need to ease up on taxes. The Feds have already given them hundreds of millions of your tax dollars. They came here because we have wind. Let them pay for it. Give Jefferson county its FAIR share.
Does Jefferson county own the wind only until it blows past the county line or is it ours to tax afterwards too? Also, should sailboaters be taxed for using our wind? :-)
Not trying to tax anyone on the wind. The sailboaters paid sales tax on the boat. Why shouldn't the developer pay sales tax on construction material??? If you build 23 homes and a fitness center won't you pay sales tax on that material???
Notice Wiley never speaks to the fact that he loved Obama's tax breaks for alternative energy projects, pablum he spewed hourly during the campaign, but now fights the same thing when it comes to his locale. Must be Wiley is not personally making a profit from this project. Another dishonest Lib.
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