R. Picardo
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|  | Brooks Calls for COMIDA Reform
« Thread Started on Jun 19, 2008, 3:54am » | ![[Quote]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/buttons/quote.gif "[Quote]") |
Peter Iglinski with Rachel Ward and Alex Crichton
ROCHESTER, NY (2008-06-17) Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks has announced a set of reforms designed to increased the accountability of COMIDA, Monroe County's local industrial development agency. They passed later in the day Tuesday at a COMIDA board meeting.
COMIDA has been criticized by labor groups and community activists for granting tax incentives to companies that fail to create the jobs they promised or that fail to hire local workers. That's a condition of COMIDA funds, unless they receive an exemption from using all local labor on their construction.
To ensure that jobs created with COMIDA funds go to local residents, Brooks asked for a process to independently review 1099 forms. State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is trying to identify "1099" abuses, which come when that tax form, used to verify a taxpayer's name, address, and income, is falsified. The county executive says she wants to provide the attorney general with the information he needs for his statewide enforcement effort.
"Ten-ninety-nine abuse is a felony in New York state and it's inappropriate activity that is an affront to every hardworking taxpayer in Monroe County and our entire state."
Brooks' proposed reforms would also designate a third party to review requests for exemptions to the policy of hiring local labor, and commit $75,000 in COMIDA funds for apprenticeship programs, to develop a larger pool of skilled labor locally.
Ken Warner, Executive Director of UNICON, which represents the local construction industry, says the reforms are an example of collaboration.
"For years we've heard the construction industry talk about that. It's very important that the dollars spent in this community stay in this community. Because a dollar is not just a dollar, it generates into money that goes for a guy who wants to buy a car down the street, buy a new washing machine, pay for his mortgage. It's very very important that we keep these dollars for projects such as IDAs [industrial development agencies] locally."
The county executive also called for Eugene Caccamise, of Bricklayer's Local 3, to be added to the COMIDA board, to force more accountability at the corporation. That appointment goes before the Monroe County legislature for approval on July 8.
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