WAWAYANDA, N.Y.—Sen. James Skoufis sent Orange County Industrial Development Agency (OCIDA) Monitor Brian Sanvidge a letter with the signatures of 1,000 OC residents opposing the agency-approved 15-year, $80.2 million Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) for a proposed Amazon warehouse in the Town of Wawayanda.
The letter, dated Nov. 11, contains 28 pages of first names, towns, villages, and area codes. As monitor, Sanvidge has the power to veto the agency’s decision, if he sees fit.
As a public benefit corporation, the OCIDA was established by the government to perform a specific task, but with the flexibility of a private company. The OCIDA’s goal is to promote growth using financial incentives like PILOTs, allowing companies to pay less in property taxes over a certain period of time.
On Oct. 23, the OCIDA voted to give a proposed 3.2 million-square-foot Amazon warehouse in Wawayanda a 15-year PILOT. The program would allow Amazon to pay $80.2 million less in taxes over the next 15 years. The Wawayanda Planning Board approved the warehouse on Oct. 22.
Skoufis has been critical of the OCIDA decision and, in an Oct. 24 letter, called for Sanvidge to veto the decision, saying it was in violation of the agency’s Uniform Tax Exemption Policy.
On Oct. 27, Skoufis launched an initiative called “Pay Your Damn Taxes, Amazon!” to collect signatures to oppose the IDA’s decision.
Skoufis first proposed the position of an OCIDA monitor in 2023. Early that year, as chair of the Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, he launched an investigation into the OCIDA. It was found that the OCIDA had given out an unnecessary $2.7 million PILOT to Milmar Foods, leading to the establishment of the position.
In March 2023, Sanvidge was appointed as monitor, charged with overseeing OCIDA decisions, especially approvals for development projects and tax breaks. The state-appointed position was the first of its kind in New York.
Sanvidge didn’t respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment by the time of publication.
OCIDA CEO Bill Fioravanti told The Epoch Times on Nov. 12 that the $605 million investment in Wawayanda would create more than 2,000 permanent and construction jobs, and would generate tens of millions of dollars in property taxes for the area and Minisink Valley Schools.
Fioravanti said the warehouse would not hurt taxpayers.
“A cost-benefit analysis that was conducted proved that, just during the term of the PILOT alone, the financial gain for Wawayanda and for the county is more than eleven times the value of the taxes saved by the company.”
Fioravanti also said the Amazon warehouse “will not come to fruition here without IDA incentives. That is a fact.”
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