Taxes/PILOT

10/3/18
Somerset, Yates remain defiant as wind power plans unveiled
Buffalo News
Tom Prohaska
“Both towns, both school districts, and both county industrial development agencies have said they will not support the project with a PILOT agreement. No PILOT, no project. We will require full taxation if we are forced by the New York State siting board to allow this project to be built.”

8/21/18
County Lawmakers to vote on limiting wind project PILOTs (Cattaraugus County, NY)
Salamanca Press
Rick Miller
Vickman added: “We all pay our fair share. They should too. There are not enough jobs to give up all these tax dollars. There are jobs created during construction, but that all goes away.” The resolution states: “It has been demonstrated that the environmental, economic and community impacts of large wind energy projects of 5 megawatts of more can be significant and might well have a negative effect on the county depending on the location and parameters of the proposed project.”
The resolution also states: “Providing a tax abatement subsidy through P.I.L.O.T. agreements to encourage the siting of large wind energy projects may not be appropriate given the potential negative impacts and potential low cost-benefit ratio of large wind energy projects.” The IDA, Vickman said, needs to look at government giving this big company big tax relief for a wind farm that gets other subsidies as well. “I have to take care of the county,” she said. (Note: this resolution passed in the Cattaraugus County Legislature on August 22, 2018)

3/29/18
Legislature Unanimously Approves Request for No More Tax Breaks to Large Scale Wind Energy Projects (Chautauqua County)
WRFA 107.9 FM Radio
Note: No author name is listed on the article
During last night’s voting session, the legislature unanimously approved, by a vote of 17 to 0, a resolution requesting that the county Industrial Development Agency not approve further tax agreements for wind energy projects that produce more than 5 megawatts of power.
“These are the urban renewal mistake of the 21st century. We were being told this is for the greater good and ultimately we are going to have to deal with the hopefully not irreparable damage that they are causing to our landscape, the environment, to property values, and to human health.”
“One thing we have to remember is that the IDA is not a county entity. It is a separate entity – even though it is the ‘Chautauqua County’ IDA, it is technically a state agency. We have the power to appoint people to the board and we appoint the director, but we do not have the ability to mandate policy,” Borrello said, adding, “That being said, this body is certainly sending this recommendation and I fully expect the IDA board to follow that recommendation.”

 

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