NEW WINDSOR – A state monitor of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency is tasked with ensuring the IDA is transparent in all of its dealing with companies seeking financial incentives to build in the county, but the IDA is charging the monitor is not transparent with its own billing.

The IDA board says it won’t pay its bills from the monitor until it gets full details of their invoices.

But, monitor Brian Sanvidge said that’s not how it works; his firm must be paid.

“There is a maximum amount of up to $250,000. My contract with the state Inspector General’s Office has that I bill the State Inspector General. They approve it and after they approve it, I send it to the IDA for payment, and this is a state contract that is approved by the Attorney General’s Office and the New York State Comptroller’s Office,” he said.

But, IDA Executive Director Bill Fioravante said they are standing firm; they want all the details of the monitor’s spending before they sign any more checks.

“The idea that they will charge us, bill the IDA and the Orange County taxpayer for things they are doing and won’t tell us what they are doing or who they are speaking to is unconscionable. It’s ridiculous and the lack of transparency on their part is really despicable,” he said.

The monitor has not received any payments from the IDA for the last six months and Fioravante said they won’t be cutting anymore checks without the total transparency of the monitor’s investigative activities.