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     The Niagara County Industrial Development Agency (NCIDA) is appointed by the Niagara County Legislature.  They are not appointed to terms but serve on a day to day basis at the pleasure of the County Legislature.  Henry Sloma is the chairman of the NCIDA and by all accounts is the key figure who pushed this "illegal" AES TAX Cut PILOT through.

    Tax Reform Niagara feels that the conduct of this appointed body crossed the line of PUBLIC TRUST and Integrity by passing a PILOT agreement that loses Taxpayers $94.6 Million dollars($43 million with no inflation) with no benefits to the Taxpayers such as new jobs, or new construction with new assessed value to bring in any revenue down the road.

     To prevent this from happening again it is necessary to appoint a new IDA board that will be responsible to the best interests of the taxpayers and not to the best interests of large and profitable corporations.

     If this violation of the public trust is allowed to stand, then  a precedent will have been set so that it could happen again in other towns within the County.

The NCIDA failed the County and the County Taxpayers causing great harm and an increase in tax rates  for ALL Niagara County Taxpayers.

The current board should be replaced and the following reforms passed by a new IDA Board.

1.  All Tax abatement agreements and/ or PILOT agreements made by the Niagara County IDA must be approved by all affected Property taxing jurisdictions. In most communities, the school district is 60% of the Property taxes, the County is 30% and the Town is 10%.  To restore taxation with representation each should vote to approve any agreement that will result in any business paying less than their fair share of Property taxes.
2. All agreements must meet all requirements of the Uniform Tax Exemption Policy (UTEP) including environmental and all documents made available for public review for 30 days prior to the public hearing.
3. The Niagara County IDA will eliminate from their Policies and procedures the practice of "deviated" PILOT agreements because by definition they do not meet the standards of the UTEP.  Why have a UTEP if you then have a procedure to deviate and make any kind of deal that the IDA wants with no protection for the taxpayers?

     To safeguard the interests of Niagara County Taxpayers it is time to replace the Niagara County IDA board members.  If the Niagara County Legislature refuses to do the right thing, then it is time to replace the Niagara County Legislature as well.

  As Taxpayers, we must be ready to get involved.  Download the TRN ACTION GUIDE;  help new candidates get signed petitions in your neighborhoods and towns.;  Get neighbors out to vote on primary Day in September and for the General Election in November. 

VOTE FOR CHANGE !

VOTE FOR A BETTER NIAGARA!