Bo knows that the village election was a vote of no confidence in the town board. How this piece of information was revealed to him has yet to be made public, but Bo knows (and Nike spent Millions a decade and a half ago to drum that into our heads).
George Pedersen knows that "you, with your vote in overwhelming numbers, spoke loud and clear that zoning and master plan issues should be decided by vote." Again how he knows is not known. Nor does he know that a referendum on zoning is illegal in New York State.
The Uncle hasn't heard from Ralph Caruso for a while (my, I hope that doesn't mean that he's miffed with me) but I'd hazard a guess that if you asked Senator Larkin's aide and 253 year full time resident of Highland Mills, he'd say that he knows that the vote was a vote for him and his Committee For The Perversion Of Woodbury to take hold of the reins of power.
He may also know , but not say, that most of the residents of Woodbury wouldn't let him anywhere near those reins and so he's probably prepping his proxies to hold them for him.
We're still waiting to see if Ralph heads his slate with the Polysyllabic Prevaricator, the Boring Baron of Bullshit, none other than John (The Plodder) Baranowski. Runner up in the betting is Bob (Mr. Bubbles) Reveille.
But back to what everyone knows.
Here's what the Uncle knows:
The Uncle knows that the vote was one more piece of proof that, as a motivator, fear works every time.
14 comments:
County gives motel tax break; Woodbury gets ‘bupkis’
By Tony Houston
Woodbury - “It’s an outrage and a disgrace that this project that was approved by the Town will be granted tax abatement by another government.”
Those are the words of Woodbury Town Councilman Michael Aronowitz pertaining to the proposed financial assistance to the Hampton Inn hotel project by the Orange County Industrial Development Agency (OCIDA).
The three-story, 136-room, 80,000-square-foot hotel and related improvements are planned for a 16-acre parcel of land at 25 North Drive behind Kohl’s in Woodbury Centre off Route 17.
The OCIDA’s proposed financial assistance includes a sales and use tax exemption, a mortgage recording tax exemption and a partial real property tax abatement. The real property tax abatement would result in property taxes from zero percent (in the first year) to 90 percent (in the tenth year) of the otherwise full amount; there is an increase of ten percentage points each year.
This arrangement would result in the property owner paying only 45 percent of the full amount over the first ten years. Beginning with the eleventh year, the full amount would be paid annually.
“Orange County is sticking it to the Town of Woodbury again,” Aronowitz said. “It’s bad enough that we get so little from Woodbury Commons; now they are screwing us twice.”
Aronowitz is concerned that the County is not just exempting the project from county taxes, but from town and school taxes as well. Woodbury Town Supervisor John Burke and Monroe-Woodbury School District Superintendent Joe DiLorenzo have expressed the same concern.
The OCIDA is one of seven IDA’s in the County. There is a local IDA in one of the county’s villages, in two of its towns and in all three of its cities. The purpose of financial assistance from an IDA is to attract development and jobs to a location that would not be developed otherwise or would not be chosen otherwise by a specifically targeted developer.
“These tax breaks are not needed to encourage the Hampton Inn development,” said John Staiger, the assistant superintendent for Business and Management Services for the Monroe-Woodbury School District. “They would build here with or without the financial assistance being offered. The OCIDA is not acting in the best interest of the school district.”
This matter is especially galling to the school and town officials. The school district and the town both decided long ago not to participate in a statewide tax-incentive program — a program far less generous to developers that the one being offered by the OCIDA.
“The county wants more shoppers in order to get more revenue,” said Aronowitz, “A hotel goes up here to house the shoppers and we won’t get the full property taxes.
“Woodbury puts up with all the headaches like traffic and policing — and we get bupkis,” Aronowitz added.
The OCIDA will hold a public hearing on Monday, Aug. 28, on the matter of financial assistance for the Hampton Inn development at 1 p.m. in the Woodbury Town Hall at 511 Route 32 in Highland Mills.
OCIDA Administrative Director William Trimble will preside and OCIDA Attorney Philip Crotty will be present.
THIS IS NOT A DONE DEAL....
The OCIDA will hold a public hearing on Monday, Aug. 28, on the matter of financial assistance for the Hampton Inn development at 1 p.m. in the Woodbury Town Hall at 511 Route 32 in Highland Mills.
If Woodbury residents show there strength at the county level for things like the KJ PIPELINE then why not show up for something equally as important? Why the county is holding this in the middle of the day is certainly suspect, however, we need to let the IDA hear our voices of opposition. They need to hear it from the people who will be directly affected! If the Hampton Inn wants a tax break to save money, tell them to charge their out-of-towners MORE to stay there, and forget about the tax break! Woodbury seems to have been the camel for the county for far too long, and this will be the straw that breaks our backs if we don't speak up LOUDLY. If this one goes through, it will be the crack in an already shakey economical dam, and it's time that we stand up, shake our fists and yell that we are mad as hell and we won't take it anymore!!!
I'm sure we can all look forward to another piece of garbage, I mean "newsletter", attached to our trash cans announcing Ralph's slate of candidates. Can't we have him and his followers arrested for littering? Trespassing? Breathing??(Sorry, that was a little over the line.) Anyway, I'm offended that I live in a Town where one man thinks he can do, and instruct his cult to do, whatever he pleases and we're all supposed to bow dowbn to him?!? The the *&%#?? Then he gets up to the microphone at a public hearing and starts rattling off all this BS about sections and codes of town laws, and matter of factly demands that the board change things per his instruction!!! He really is quite impressed with himself. Too bad no one else is Ralph!
Getting back to Uncle Betty's post (not to diminish the importance of the Hampton Inn deal which is as important as well)
However, it is starting to become evident that Ralph Caruso's slate plans to campaign against the Town Board and the current zoning and likely also the WP3 zoning issues.
If so why didnt he campaign against the town board during the initial vote on creating a village?? Too chancy perhaps Ralph? Maybe becuase most of the town folk DO SUPPORT the current town board majority? Maybe that wasnt enough to get the town scared in to voting for this extra layer of government?
So, instead, the Ralphings scare everyone with KJ this and KJ that during the campaign. Now, suddenly they are running away from that strategy. Why?
Is it becuase there is something in place? Maybe the Ralphlings now have to face the fact that the village WONT stop KJ or annexation. Maybe they have to start stearing people away from that and on to other things?
Bo only knows what Ralph tells him to know. So Ralph is (of course) up to something here.
Regarding the Hotel and proposed tax abatement, isnt it better to have a hotel paying a portion of taxes, than to have no hotel with no taxes? I would rather have half a dollar, than no dollar at all. Plus, let the hotel in, and charge a three dollar a night local room tax, let the town/village sit back and collect a few hundred dollars a night for doing nothing at all.
Anonymous (our most prolific poster) asks: "isnt it better to have a hotel paying a portion of taxes, than to have no hotel with no taxes?"
The question presupposes that the abatement predated the plans for the hotel and without the abatement there we be no hotel.
The Uncle believes that the hotel was planned first and that, abatement or not it would be built. If that's the case then the real question is "isnt it better to have a hotel paying all of its taxes than a hotel only paying a portion of its taxes?"
your right UB...sounds just like the person who on another post said they would rather have KJ having a little bit of ace farm than a 5 sq mile village. I say no annexation no village...no tax abatement, and no hotel if they cant support the community that will be affected by it.
Who ever wrote "This is not a done deal." hit it on the head. Get the the word out, get this fantasic community to send a message to the county, as it has done in the past, that this is not to go down. But who else but Jonathan Swiller & his people could get that done? Even though some low-life has been attacking him recently and I don't blame him if he says "Screw you" I must ask- Jonatan I know you read the U.B. blog. Can you come through for us again. Signed "Irish Mike"
Back to the original glog.
It looks like when unk has nothing to say, unk will says nothing.
on the zoning referendum issue...just Laburnt or tiny Krause says so does not necessarily makes it so. Other states allow it. IFFFF NY says its illegal then NY should rethink their processes. My bet is that it is allowed if you want it. If you don't then sick your ass kissing dog...I mean counsel into the foray.
Illegal means illegal. Check with the NYS Department of State.
Want to change the law? By all means go to it, call up our good buddy in Albany, Billy Larkin and have him get on it.
swiller won't do anything against the hotel since it's not a satmar hotel
Bohan is an anti-semite.
Uncle- I have always believed that voters and residents should be EDUCATED with the FACTS (that's why I voted NO to the village). In any case, with regard to this Hotel debate, per the 3/29/06 minutes of the Orange County Education & Economic Development Committee meeting, Mr. Trimble, the head of the IDA, was asked by Legislator Depew if the towns have a say whether they want to support a project or not. Mr. Trimble explained that there is a public hearing (in our case on 8/28/06) and the local municipality would have its control over the project based on their PLANNING BOARDS and ZONING BOARDS of APPEALS. Mr. Dpew went on to ask that if the IDA is in favor of a certain project, but the municipality involved is AGAINST it, what happens? Mr. Trimble replied that the planning and zoning boards will vote on the project FIRST.
Now, in trying to decipher this dialogue, I am left with several questions that MUST be asked at the meeting tomorrow- #1)AT ANY TIME IN THE PLANNING AND ZONING PROCESS FOR THE HAMPTON INN, DID THEIR REPRESENTATIVES INDICATE THAT THEY WOULD BE APPLYING FOR THE TAX ABATEMENT? #2)If not, then can they be reprimanded and will they have to go back before the proper municipal boards to get approval? #3)If the OCIDA was not in operation at that time, and the Hampton Inn wants to use that to their advantage, then shouldn't the members of the IDA weigh the wishes of the MUNICIPAILTY more heavily than those of the HAMPTON INN? #4) If the OCIDA was in effect, and our Planning Board and ZBA knew that the Hampton Inn was going to apply for this abatement, why were they asleep at the wheel? There are many questions that need to be answered tomorrow afternoon, and we, as a communtiy that is looked upon as WEALTHY, must not keep our heads in the sand. Remember, KNOWLEDGE is POWER, so I am pleading with all available residents to pack the place, ask the questions, and put the heat on those responsible to answer. We have done it before, and as an educated community we can do it again. Please get involved so you're not left scratching your heads and wondering why!
I'd like to know why a meeting of this importance would be planned in a primarily bedroom community during the day when people have to work. This is something that should have been done in the evening or on a weekend. But, as usual, with Orange County government, hold the meetings during the day so no one can come and complain. I cant make it tomorrow but i hope others who can get there will.
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