LAWMAKERS BOO FRESHMAN ASSEMBLYMAN:

The scene: the state Assembly chamber, packed with hundreds of legislators, media and political junkies. Freshman Assemblyman Greg Ball rose from his desk, raised his microphone and indicted his colleagues.

And before he could finish his two-minute scolding, legislators booed, hissed, whistled and tried to shout down the rookie with cries of “Sit Down!” and “Resign!”

If they didn’t know him yet, lawmakers know the brash Putnam County resident now.
Ball, 30, is in his first six weeks on the job after ousting a veteran fellow Republican in a primary last fall. Casting himself as an outsider, he said he tried to shake up the status quo at the Capitol.
...
“Today is a sad day for New York State,” the rookie began as heads turned his way. “The public trust has been violated. ... This is about a Legislature that is resisting a governor who has a mandate for reform.

“This is the most dysfunctional Legislature,” Ball continued as the hisses and catcalls started and he raised his volume, “in the United States of America.”

That triggered full-throated boos and repeated shouts of “Sit down” and “Resign,” momentarily silencing Ball.

“Mr. Speaker, will you please take control?” Ball said to the man with the gavel, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan. Silver offered no help.

Ball labored on: “It may not make any friends. But that’s how I feel and that’s how the public feels.”

I like your style, sir.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BILLBOARD NOT SO WELCOME A SIGN:

Lockport stockbroker Lee J. Bordeleau has followed through on his plan to erect a billboard declaring that Niagara County has the nation's highest taxes.

Bordeleau's billboard on South Transit Road (Route 78), just north of the border with Erie County, will be up for two months.

It states: "Welcome to Niagara County. We're # 1. We pay the highest property taxes in the United States. Too many government agencies employing too many workers, making too much money! Help us free Niagara! Go to FreeNewYork.org."

The Web site is Internet headquarters for a small-government group that arose out of Buffalo attorney James Ostrowski's Free Buffalo movement.

Check out the picture.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

FACTORY JOBS DRAINING ALONG GREAT LAKES:

Western New York isn't alone in feeling the pain of disappearing factory jobs.

A new study to be released by the Brookings Institution this week will show that Great Lakes states are bearing the brunt of U.S. manufacturing job losses.

The study, which looked at metropolitan areas in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, found that:

* The loss of manufacturing jobs in the Great Lakes states accounted for more than one-third of the nation's loss of factory jobs between 2000 and 2005. In that period, manufacturing jobs in Western New York fell 21 percent - from 104,700 to 82,300.

* The losses were a major reason for slow overall job growth in the seven state region, and overall job losses in some areas. Gains in high-wage advanced service industries, which occurred in all but one of the 25 metro areas studied, were not large enough to offset the factory jobs that were lost.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

POPULATION LOSSES ARE WIDESPREAD ACROSS WNY:

More than two-thirds of Western New York's communities have fewer residents now than at the beginning of the decade, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released Wednesday.

A total of 129 Western New York cities, towns and reservations suffered population declines between July 2000 and July 2005. Just 52 places gained residents during the same period, and three were unchanged.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 09:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NY SCHOOL BUDGETS WILL DRIVE UP PROPERTY TAXES:

Property taxes related to school budgets will collectively rise by more than $900 billion if statewide voters approve those spending plans later this month.

The Public Policy Institute, in its annual "School Tax Watch," reported Tuesday that per-pupil spending will increase by twice the rate of inflation. Average per-pupil spending will, for the third consecutive year, rise by 6.2 percent to $16,469.

But at least we're getting great ROI: Virginia, North Carolina, Arizona, et al. can vouch for that.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEWCOMERS JUICE WINE LAND VALUES:

The couple are part of what could be a new chapter in Finger Lakes wines: out-of-towners buying land for wine-related businesses because they believe it's a steal compared with land in other premium wine regions.

The trend could boost the prestige of the wine-growing region, make it a more popular vacation destination and boost the economy both through tourism and wine sales. At the same time, real estate agents predict that in coming years there may be a bidding war for prime Finger Lakes land among vintners, grape growers, farmers and those who want to build dream homes.

Although there are no solid numbers on sales across the region, two months of interviews with real estate agents, winery owners, town assessors and industry experts found that interest in the Finger Lakes region has surged in the past five years.

As a result, the price of prime vacation and wine-growing acreage has tripled in that time from about $1,500 per acre for bare land in 2001 to $4,500 today. Depending on location, the cost for land with existing vinifera or hybrid vines can run $8,000 to $10,000 an acre, the real estate agents estimate.
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The tourism draw, as well as the potential of the wine industry, adds to the interest in the Finger Lakes, real estate experts say. New York sees an average of 18,393 visitors per winery, compared with 12,167 in Napa, according to the VinQuest 2006 U.S. Wine Industry survey. The average tasting room sales per New York winery were up 41 percent in 2005 from the year before, according to the same survey.

“Lake view property is going up, the land for crops is going up, the land for grapes is going up,” said Mary Lilyea, assessor for the towns of Benton and Torrey, Yates County. “This whole winery thing has grown so fast.”
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The wine and grape foundation says about 10 new wineries open a year in the Finger Lakes region, with the average vineyard being 30 acres. And the tourism industry should get a boost in June with the opening of the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua, a $7.5 million facility backed by Constellation Brands Inc., Wegmans Food Markets Inc. and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

N.Y. PROPERTY TAXES SOAR:

As lawmakers and the governor squabbled Wednesday over whether to send homeowners property-tax rebates this fall, a report released by the state comptroller showed that local property levies soared 42 percent during the last five years.

The increase in the amount owed by property owners — from $26 billion to $38 billion — was three times the rate of inflation, according to Comptroller Alan Hevesi.

New York's local property taxes are nearly 50 percent above the national average and are the fourth-highest in the nation per capita, the study said.

"Property taxes are by far the largest and fastest-growing component of most New Yorkers' tax bills," Hevesi said in releasing the report. "Because local governments have little choice but to raise property taxes or cut services when other revenues fall short during tough economic times, this trend will likely continue."
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Part of the fast growth of property taxes can be attributed to the impact of the recession and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the report said. State aid was reduced, and at the same time local revenue slowed.

Based on preliminary data for 2006, the tax increases seem to be slowing down, especially for counties, the study said.

The New York State Association of Counties estimates that county spending will increase an average of 3 percent in 2006 and that 27 of 57 counties will increase property taxes, by an average of 3.5 percent, said Stephen Acquario, executive director.

By contrast, 48 of 57 counties had to increase their levies by an average of 7.3 percent in 2005, he said.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't often link to New York Times articles because they require a free subcription to read, but there are aptly juxtaposed articles in today's edition and magazine about two starkly different areas of the country trying to creatively address problems caused by their respective times of plenty and famine.

The Upstate Suburbs of New York City:
HOMES TOO RICH FOR FIREFIGHTERS WHO SAVE THEM:

For two decades, as the suburbs have become more pricey, the number of people who can afford to live in the wealthiest communities and also volunteer or hold public jobs there has dwindled. But now, in the wake of the recent real estate frenzy, more local officials are raising disturbing questions and looking for ways to address a growing problem:

Will their communities be able to field enough firefighters to save their homes from burning down, ambulance workers to get them to a hospital in time and teachers to give their children a literate start in life?

North Dakota:
NOT FAR FROM FORSAKEN:

But even as the American small town continues what often seems like an irresistible decline, some in northwest North Dakota are mounting a resistance, an organized effort to draw people — new people, young people, families — to their small towns. And a few have taken things even further by reviving, in a fashion, the very institution that generated them in the first place: homesteading.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CONCERT HALL IS LATEST BOOST FOR TIOGA COUNTY:

Tioga County businessman George Swansbrough spent one year and more than $1 million to buy an old foundry and turn it into a 4,600-seat music hall set to open at the end of the month.

Call it his new hobby.

Until now, Swansbrough's pastime has been drag racing. In 2004, he opened Skyview Drags in Tioga Center.

But he wanted something more -- something for the "working man" to do on his time off, he said.

"What would I like?" Swansborough asked rhetorically. The answer was a quality music venue.

So, in March 2005, he paid $960,000 at auction to buy the old foundry property at the corner of Broad Street Extension and William Donnelly Industrial Parkway from the county.

And on April 28 and 29, his Upstate Music Center will make its debut with a grand opening.
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A variety of musical genres eventually will play there, but opening weekend will feature mostly country western music, including singers Joe Diffie, Ricochet and Matt Mason. The music hall is the first significant development to bubble up in western Tioga since news that Tioga Downs Racino will open in May in Nichols, about 5 miles east of Waverly.

"The music hall is going to be a wonderful boost for Waverly, the Southern Tier and Tioga County," said Tioga County Legislator Martha Sauerbrey, R-Owego, president and CEO of the Tioga County Chamber of Commerce.
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Along with 4,600 movie-theater-style seats, the music hall has an 80-by-35-foot stage, a 30,000-watt sound system, a "jam room" for entertainers, an autograph area, food and beverage concessions, and 54 bathrooms.

By comparison, the Forum in Binghamton has seating for 1,519.

Upstate Music Center's location, a 37-acre plot in an industrial park, is ideal for a music hall and a 1,400-car parking lot, Swansbrough said. Major thoroughfares, including routes 17 and 17C, are a few hundred feet away. In addition to the racino, the music hall will be near the soon-to-open Two Rivers State Park in Waverly.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 09:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CALLING FOR REAL CHANGE IN TIERS:

The time has come for upstate New York to change the way it does business, builds communities and educates its children.

That's the message Jack Benjamin, president of Three Rivers Development Corp. in Corning, delivered Wednesday in Beecher Hall at The Park Church in Elmira in the final discussion in a three-part series on creative communities.

“I'm talking about the social capacity to create an environment where people can function and a place where people want to be,” Benjamin told an audience of more than 40 people.

Benjamin said New York state and, more specifically, upstate New York hover at the bottom of several lists on taxation, development and population retention.

“We can't afford this type of government,” he said.

Benjamin's statistics showed that Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties have about 210,000 people and 76 local governments, or one government for every 2,700 residents. Population is expected to continue to decline and the fastest-growing portions of the economy are educational and not-for-profit entities, which doesn't bode well for the region, he said.
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Building on suggestions offered Tuesday by author and economist Richard Florida in a lecture in Corning, Benjamin said the region must reach out and embrace its under-40 population and work with local colleges in a 60-mile radius to retain talent and encourage new graduates to stay in the region.

Communities must make young people feel welcome — they are the future drivers of the region, he said.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

REPORT: STATE, LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEBT AT $227B:

In the latest attack on the finances of the state's public authorities, a Manhattan-based watchdog group Tuesday urged that their ability to borrow money be reined in.

The group, the Citizens Budget Commission, put the total borrowed by state and local governments and authorities in New York at $227 billion. Authorities borrowed $166 billion, or almost three-quarters of the total.

The state government alone is $45 billion in debt - about $10 billion more than it can safely afford, according to the report.

A debt that high has the effect of "placing New York in a danger zone and contributing to an uncompetitive tax burden," according to the commission.
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The state's 583 public authorities are government-created and controlled agencies that are legally independent. Among the largest are the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs subways, buses, trains, tunnels and bridges in the New York City metropolitan area, and the Thruway Authority, which operates the 544-mile-long toll-road system that goes from New York City north to Albany, west to Buffalo and south to the Pennsylvania state line.
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Using the authorities to borrow the money rather than having state government do it directly gets around the requirement that voters approve borrowing and is known as "back-door borrowing."

Instead of requiring voter approval for the debt, the report says, the state should limit borrowing to what is affordable - a calculation based on how much it has already borrowed and other long-term obligations, like pension costs.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TOWN ADOPTS A FILMING FEE SCHEDULE:

If you think of a town government as an average person like you, what happens when George Clooney calls and tells you he wants you?

You get all giddy and, with as much composure as possible, you reply. But because you're a town government and can't scream like a star-struck sycophant, you express yourself with the means you have: bureaucracy.

So it is, after several calls recently from filmmakers (one of whom was George Clooney, or at least "his people") and TV location scouts, the town has adopted its first film law and fee schedule.

A smart move for liability and to ensure the town isn't overrun by budding Scorseses looking for cheap locales, the law requires filmmakers to pay an application fee and be responsible for any police costs.

Recently, Clooney's people did inquire about filming some spots here for a movie. And scouts from the TV's "Rescue Me," starring Denis Leary, have been touring the town.

To shoot in Tuxedo, filmmakers will have to pay a non-refundable application fee, ranging between $250 and $1,000, depending on how quickly the crew needs to shout "Action!" A permit will cost $500 for filming on private property and $250 for filming on public land. Any police costs come extra. But if the film is for a nonprofit organization, the fee is only $50.

It's no coincidence that New York has seen an uptick in the number of movies being filmed here:

REELING THEM IN:

In recent years, the entire state - even New York City - had trouble attracting movie productions, especially with cities like Toronto offering lower costs.

But in 2004, the state began offering a 10 percent tax credit for film and TV production work done in-state. It's an incentive program many credit for creating a film industry boom in New York City and throughout the state

(Hat tip: UpstateBlog)

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 01:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)