POUGHKEEPSIE – Top elected
leaders from four of the Mid-Hudson Valley counties Wednesday participated
in a Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress panel discussion on how the counties
could work together for the betterment of the entire region.
Ulster County Executive Michael Hein said something his county is interested in that could benefit the surrounding counties is a change to Entertainment Post Production Tax Credits. The tax credits give 10 percent back to movie/TV companies, or production facilities, that set up shop in Upstate New York; however, he said currently, the Mid-Hudson is not included.
“The way it is designed currently excludes all of Ulster, Sullivan, Dutchess and Orange and considers none of them as Upstate New York. It’s an illogical break in where it was designed at this point,” said Hein. “So, we’re hoping, that because of that, we can make a real and substantive change and we have so many of the decision makers in the entertainment industry live here and want to work here and want to bring hundreds, of millions, of dollars and grow the creative economy right here in Ulster County and throughout the entire Mid-Hudson Valley.”
Another issue addressed by the panel was that of convincing the state to use the money from the State Licensing Fee, a fee the Montreign Casino and Resort had to pay in order to receive their gaming license, to invest in local infrastructure. Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and the other county leaders believe this money will be necessary to ensure the current highway infrastructure can handle the influx of new visitors that will be coming to the Mid-Hudson.
“One of the big questions today was there’s a $50 million dollar fee that the casino had to pay to New York State; rather than New York State using that money to balance their general fund,” said Neuhaus. “We all suggest that that $50 million should be used to beef up the local infrastructure: fix the Harriman interchange which has been talked about for decades and never really budgeted; do some improvements to the 17M corridor, the 17 corridor, the exits related to it that are all going to be directly impacted from the casino growth, as well as other growth. Orange County’s going to continue to grow, so is Sullivan and the other counties. Use that money wisely is what we’re saying.”
Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro noted every issue that any one of the counties faces, all can learn and benefit from.”
“County governments are very much the laboratories of experimentation in the State of New York. We’re really stressed to do a great amount of work for a little bit when it comes to revenue,” Molinaro said. “Our focus has been to work together collectively to confront both social and community issues and really, to grow the regional community and regional economy.”
Also participating in the conversation was Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Luis Alvarez, who expects his county, as the host for the Montreign project, and the others in the region, to reap the benefits from the massive facility when it is up and running in two years.
L-R: Molinaro, Hein, MHPP President & CEO Jonathan Drapkin, Neuhaus, Alvarez
