Assemblyman George Latimer has informed Republican members of the New Rochelle City Council that the Assembly’s Legislative Bill Drafting Committee (LBDC) has completed work on a draft of the proposed IDA bill that Latimer referred to the LBDC two weeks ago.
The LBDC draft proposes to amend Section 908-b of the general municipal law, as added by chapter 785 of the laws of 1976, adding language that requires action by the New Rochelle Council.
§ 908-b. City of New Rochelle industrial development agency. For the benefit of the city of New Rochelle and the inhabitants thereof, an industrial development agency, to be known as the NEW ROCHELLE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, is hereby established for the accomplishment of any or all of the purposes specified in title one of article eighteen-A of this chapter. It shall constitute a body corporate and politic, and be perpetual in duration. It shall have the powers and duties now or hereafter conferred by title one of article eighteen-A of this chapter upon industrial development agencies and provided that the exercise of the powers by such agency with respect to the acquisition of real property whether by purchase, condemnation or otherwise, shall be limited to the corporate limits of the city of NewRochelle, and such agency shall take into consideration the local zoning and planning regulations as well as the regional and local comprehensive land use plans. It shall be organized in a manner prescribed by and be subject to the provisions of title one of article eighteen-A of this chapter. Its members shall be appointed by the governing body of the city of New Rochelle. The agency, its members, officers and employees and its operations and activities shall in all respects be governed by the provisions of title one of article eighteen-A of this chapter.
In late July, Richard St. Paul, Louis Trangucci and Albert Tarantino, the three Republican members of the New Rochelle City Council made a home rule request of New Rochelle’s four Albany lawmakers — State Senators Jeff Klein and Suzi Openheimer and State Assembly Representatives Amy Paulin and George Latimer — to give the New Rochelle City Council full power to approve the New Rochelle Industrial Development Agency (IDA) decisions as it relates to to IDA applicants. The request come in the wake of a Comptroller’s audit of the agency which found a complete lack of process and documentation for IDA decisions.
Once the three Republicans sign off on the draft, Latimer will share the draft with other area lawmakers.
