Some of the basic highlights of the February 13, 2008 commissioners’ meeting.
Rick Kamansky was made the Chief Assessor (again). Laura Watts is now the Voter Registrar. Kathy Aldrich is the Deputy Chief Clerk.
By a vote of 2-1 with Commissioners Warren and Allen voting for and Commissioner Giangrieco voting against - Central Bradford Progress Authority’s contract was approved retroactively to January 1, 2008. It is the understanding of this writer that Our Fair County will pay this agency roughly $43,335 of our local tax dollars. Additionally, they will receive the proceeds of a $15,000 USDA Rural Development Grant and LEDA (Local Economic Development) funds of roughly another $15,000.
This amounts to roughly $73,000 plus dollars and there isn’t even an economic development office located IN Susquehanna County. Could the county hire an individual with benefits and a secretary for less than that? You betcha.
By a vote of 2 to 1 (Commissioner Giangrieco voting against) the revisited and revised budget for 2008 was passed.
Finally, there was an allegation made about yet another potential violation of the Sunshine Act.
Here we go again! It appears as if the honeymoon is over - already. Oy Vey!
Your thoughts?
Even if it cost the county more than $73,000 to have its own economic development office it would be worth it. What does it say to a prospective company seeking a new location that we don’t even care enough about our own economy to promote it ourselves?? If Wyoming County had this kind of an arrangement with Bradford County back in the early ’60’s Proctor & Gamble would be located in Towanda! In the several years CBRA has acted for us, what industry and how many new jobs have they been responsible for establishing in Susquehanna County?
On December 11, 2007 the article ” Should Susquehanna County’s Economic Development Department Continue to be Outsourced? ” appeared in this blog. It would be worthwhile to review it for additional information. Our recently installed commissioners Warren and Allen have NOT done this county any favors by continuing the relationship with the CBPA. Nor are they doing the county any favors by maintaining the current membership on our own local Economic Development Board.
“Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss!”
Blame the Central Bradford Progress Authority all you want, but don’t forget to look at Susquehanna County’s own Economic and Develompent Board. Was there ever any weaker group of people running something so iimportant in our county? Where is the use of the quite lengthy advisory board, consisting of over thirty people, that was set up to advise the E and D Board? This larger advisory board actully consisted of real people from the county with real, every day jobs in all aspects of retail, manufacturing, farming, etc. Their input would be knowledgable.
Why does the Economic and Development Board always look for the silver bullet company coming from elsewhere to set up shop here? What about enhancing the local businesses to grow larger? Start with what we have here, and expand that. What about all the farmland that is unused? We have had two successfull grazing conferences at the Harford Fire Hall where the all day workshop talks about actually using pasture to feed livestock. Imagine the concept of getting back to using mainly improved pasture to raise animals! Small farms are real farms, too.
The CBPA is good at talking up a storm - maybe we should improve what we have here. We can’t always be thinking about bringing in outside businesses, and we can’t always be thinking in terms of the hundreds of thousands of dollars that are always mentioned. Big numbers are always discussed at these meetings. Fine, but what about all those small things that can be done, that add up in the end to permanently help the county.
Also, under the Enterprise zones, what tax breaks are offered? What self-respecting company would come into an area, and not pay some of the local taxes for a few years?
At the last E and D Board meeting, Giangreco asked the CBPA what they did. I thought that was a naive question, and that Giangreco should have done his homework first. However, he obriously didn’t like their answer. The answer he received was lengthy and full of big numbers, but in the end, there wasn’t much substance. And as always, the Susquehanna Economic Board’s members from our county were unelightening.
Put down the CPBA all that we want, our own folks are weak. It needs a shake up, and it needs people from all walks of life to offer solutions. And we need to look within, also, to improve our economy.
Rotaryconnection: As noted above, I agree that the local Economic Development board is weak. Beyond that, I would submit that in some of the membership may be representing a portion of the county which wants to maintain the Status Quo, while some others have no idea about economic development, they are only there because they received an appointment as a political favor.
So there you have it. Both the CBPA and the local ED board talk a good game and do nothing. Is the unwritten motto “All Change is Bad”?
In the mean time, we are spending local tax dollars to support an organization which, justabumpkin rightly points out, is in competition with this county for jobs.
It may be easier in the short run to outsource ED, but the results have and most probably will be minimal at best.
Finally, to complete the picture about ED, both the past commissioners and the current ones have done NOTHING to support the county railroad authority, including responding to several official correspondences recenrtly sent. Never mind the fact that the CBPA, who was told to work with the railroad authority also has not responded to several correspondences sent over the last YEAR.
Economic Development is a complete political football with no end game in sight except do nothing.