Last Tuesday, June 18, the Saratoga Board of Supervisors approved a new arrangement between the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) and the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership with an 18-2 vote.
“There’s been tremendous support, because there’s been a growing concern that the current system is just not effective or efficient,” Phil Barrett, Chairman of the Economic Development Committee, said.
The SEDC stopped receiving funding in 2012, after being the economic development organization for the county for over 30 years. The Partnership was created in 2015.
Since the partnership’s creation, both organizations have been tasked with economic development in Saratoga county, which has led to confusion in attracting and retaining businesses.
Over the past year, the organizations each sent representatives to a committee, unofficially referred to as the “Unity Committee,” to determine how to
proceed while reducing confusion. “The Unity Committee will sit and make sure that we’re coordinating things, members of the Partnership as well as members of SEDC,” Marty Vanags, President of the
Partnership, said.
Under the new Memorandum
Of Understanding (MOU), the organizations will be in charge of different aspects of economic development in Saratoga. The SEDC will draw businesses in, while the Partnership will help companies create economic development plans to retain and grow businesses in the area.
“This MOU, which is an agreement between two separate parties, should not be confused with action being taken at the County Board of Supervisors, that’s a separate activity,” Vanags said.
“This is an agreement between our organization and their organization about who’s going to do what,” he continued. “Down the line, if the county sees fit to fund SEDC... that’s up to the county Board.”
In a memo given out during the meeting for the vote, SEDC would begin receiving $150,000 per year from the county, the Partnership would continue to
receive half of the county’s bed tax, approximately $540,000, and a new Economic Development Planning fund would be created for $150,000.
“So the proposal,” Barrett said. “Are recommended levels of funding. Now the actual levels of funding will be determined through the budget process in the fall, early winter, we don’t approve the budget until December.”
Supervisor of Saratoga SpringsTaraGastonvotedagainst the reform for that exact reason, saying that she has no problem with the resolution itself, but that the extra $150,000 for the new fund was not allocated in the budget yet, and that previous discussions had been delayed due to the same reason.
Barrett added that since the vote, they have already received over two dozen letters in favor of the change. These letters range from the Adirondack Trust Company to Stewart’s to Spa City Builders.
“These are all people that live in the county, conduct business in the county,” Barrett said. “Entrepreneurs, executives, good cross section of our business community, and many names that you would recognize.”
