GOSHEN – The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court has ruled that the Orange County Partnership is, in fact, a local authority, and as such, is subject to the reporting, disclosure, and governance requirements of the state’s Public Authorities Law.
The Partnership has maintained that it is a private, not-for-profit local economic development corporation.
And, while it secured an earlier court decision in its favor, the State Attorney General’s Office challenged that before the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, and in an April 10 decision, the judges found the Partnership is within the local authority under state law.
A “disappointed” Partnership President Maureen Halahan said on Thursday that, “For years, the State of New York Authorities Budget Office has sought to expand its power beyond the type of public entities contemplated by the statute.”
She said the Partnership’s position “remains the same – we maintain we are not a public authority. We are a private, not-for-profit corporation focused on pursuing economic development throughout Orange County.”
She said her agency “will pursue available remedies” to challenge the latest court ruling.
Halahan said the ABO’s “governmental overreach and efforts … are designed to stymie economic growth and job creation in our communities,” but the Partnership “will continue its work to promote economic development effectively and efficiently in Orange County, NY.”
State Senator James Skoufis (D, Cornwall), said the law is “catching up with many of Orange County’s rogue actors, the latest being the Partnership.”
He charged that for years, it has operated as if it was above the law and unaccountable to the public, claiming on the one hand that they are a private organization, and when convenient, claiming they are an arm of county government.
“Now, the Orange County Partnership is required to hold public meetings, provide budget transparency, be subjected to the Freedom of Information Law, file financial disclosures, and permit the state to audit their books,” the senator said.
Along with this court decision, Skoufis pointed to the county Industrial Development Agency’s state-appointed monitor and the ongoing FBI criminal investigation dealing with the county’s information technology contract.
