Cayuga County legislators and other local officials will have a chance to work out some unresolved issues over economic development.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Daniel Schuster, chairman of the county Legislature's committee on planning and economic development, speaks at the Legislative meeting on Tuesday night.
Daniel Schuster, chairman of the county Legislature's committee on planning and economic development, speaks at the Legislative meeting on Tuesday night.
Legislator Daniel Schuster announced Tuesday during the monthly meeting of the County Legislature that the county Planning Committee will hold a special meeting July 31. The purpose of the meeting, Schuster said, is to discuss the future of economic development in the county.
“I figure there are probably going to be a lot of people who wish to discuss certain things,” Schuster said.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. in the county office building, 160 Genesee St. Legislative committee meetings are open to the public.
The meeting was called as a response to an e-mail Schuster sent this weekend to city and county officials and local community leaders. In a lengthy statement, Schuster criticized how two private organizations have handled a proposal to create a “first-stop” development agency for the county.
Throughout the letter, he accused the Stardust Foundation of Central New York and A Call to Action: A Blueprint for Our Region's Future of using private funds to affect public policy. He also raised questions over what he said he sees as a lack of transparency through the process, and he implied that individuals from each group have threatened to use local press to advance their goals.
Both the Blueprint group and the county Legislature are interested in creating such a position, and the Stardust Foundation has offered to provide funds to launch and temporarily support such an agency until it becomes self-sustaining.
But the Blueprint group wishes to start a completely new agency, while county representatives are proposing to revive the Cayuga County Development Corporation to fill the need.
Legislative Chairman Roger Mills said after Tuesday's meeting that he hopes everyone on the Legislature is able to attend. He would like to see a resolution on the subject sooner than later, he said.
“It is important enough for everyone to get together on this,” Mills said. “I think we'll get a sense of the rest of the legislators at the meeting.”
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
“I figure there are probably going to be a lot of people who wish to discuss certain things,” Schuster said.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. in the county office building, 160 Genesee St. Legislative committee meetings are open to the public.
The meeting was called as a response to an e-mail Schuster sent this weekend to city and county officials and local community leaders. In a lengthy statement, Schuster criticized how two private organizations have handled a proposal to create a “first-stop” development agency for the county.
Throughout the letter, he accused the Stardust Foundation of Central New York and A Call to Action: A Blueprint for Our Region's Future of using private funds to affect public policy. He also raised questions over what he said he sees as a lack of transparency through the process, and he implied that individuals from each group have threatened to use local press to advance their goals.
Both the Blueprint group and the county Legislature are interested in creating such a position, and the Stardust Foundation has offered to provide funds to launch and temporarily support such an agency until it becomes self-sustaining.
But the Blueprint group wishes to start a completely new agency, while county representatives are proposing to revive the Cayuga County Development Corporation to fill the need.
Legislative Chairman Roger Mills said after Tuesday's meeting that he hopes everyone on the Legislature is able to attend. He would like to see a resolution on the subject sooner than later, he said.
“It is important enough for everyone to get together on this,” Mills said. “I think we'll get a sense of the rest of the legislators at the meeting.”
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
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jim wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:06 PM: