The Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency is looking to promote the county’s industrial parks and other commercial properties at trade shows where board members believe they can entice business leaders to locate their companies in the Mohawk Valley.
To that end, the Herkimer County Legislature’s Committee on Planning and Development Thursday voted 4-1 to pass the IDA’s request for an additional $135,000 for marketing, as well as an additional $100,000 to maintain the properties it currently has, including $40,000 to $70,000 for engineering services to grid electrical and natural gas lines at the Frankfort 5S South Business Park, to the legislature’s Finance Committee.
District 15 Legislator Patrick Russell cast the lone no vote.
Russell said he has no opposition to marketing the county’s commercial properties to potential developers, but as chairman of the finance committee he would like to see a better breakdown of how the additional moneys would be spent.
The county Finance Committee on Friday set a Dec. 11 meeting for the IDA to present a more detailed presentation.
Russell said, as is, he can’t support the $100,000 for maintaining current sites and engineering designs at the business park. The other funds, if approved, would have to come from the county’s contingency budget, he added.
The IDA currently has a marketing budget of $15,000.

For the full story see Saturday's edition of The Evening Telegram