MONTGOMERY – State Senator James Skoufis (D, Cornwall), who chairs the Senate Investigations Committee, has blasted Amazon for its request of a waiver from the Montgomery Industrial development Agency so that it could bring in out-of-town painters on its massive warehouse project.
The Montgomery IDA approved the waiver, which Skoufis said is “yet another needless incentive” for the one-million square foot facility.
“Here you have a multi-billion dollar company seeking to save a few bucks on a paint job and requesting from the IDA that they be allowed to use non-local labor. I think it is outrageous. I think it is a dereliction of their duty for a multi-billion-dollar company who is already getting property tax breaks, mind you. It is a slap in the face of their soon-to-be neighbors, their local community, that they were unwilling to spend a few additional dollars hiring local painters, putting local people to work,” he said.
Amazon is not actually building the Montgomery facility. A developer is constructing it and will lease it to the giant online retailer.
This is not the first time Skoufis has battled with the Montgomery IDA. He was opposed to Medline’s application for tax breaks. That company eventually withdrew its request.
