CORNWALL – Senator James Skoufis (D-Orange County) on Friday announced a three-year extension of the Orange County IDA monitor’s term, as well as an expansion of the oversight and authority necessary to protect the interests of Orange County taxpayers.
The OC IDA fired back at Skoufis, saying the move impedes Orange County’s ability to attract successful companies and quality jobs. Skoufis was joined at the event by Assemblymen Jonathan Jacobson (D-Newburgh) and Chris Eachus (D-New Windsor).
“For years the IDA operated like the Wild West, with no accountability to the taxpayers or the communities they purport to serve,” said Senator Skoufis. “Again and again, the IDA has put corporate interests ahead of taxpayers, schools, and communities. The monitor we fought so hard to put in place has served as a critical line of defense for taxpayers against the IDA’s rogue, reckless behavior. I’m grateful for the support of my Assembly partners in renewing the monitor’s term and keeping him right where he belongs: watching the IDA’s every move.”
In a statement, the IDA said it is “disappointed that some of our own representatives in the state legislature ignored the facts around this IDA.”
“At a time when our residents are struggling to pay for gas, utilities and taxes, they needed these officials’ support more than ever,” the IDA’s statement added. “Regardless, the Orange County IDA remains focused on faithfully and transparently employing our state-given tools to grow and strengthen our local economy.”
In 2023, Skoufis announced the creation of the monitor as a position within the Inspector General’s office to provide enhanced oversight of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency (OC IDA). The monitor was empowered to overrule the agency’s tax break packages if they ran afoul of taxpayer interests and police the IDA to ensure all laws were properly adhered to. The provision dictated that the monitor, Brian Sanvidge, be paid for by the OC IDA $250,000 annually.
Sanvidge vetoed a tax break for over $80 million that an Amazon mega-warehouse in Orange County was seeking – and the OC IDA attempted to approve – citing secrecy in the deal and an unwillingness by Amazon and the OC IDA to discuss alleged competing sites with the monitor. Refusing to accept the rule of law, the OC IDA proceeded to sue the monitor, litigation that is pending in state supreme court.
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