State of the county: tough times ahead

Still, ambitious initiatives unveiled

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — He said he wasn’t one to sugarcoat the truth. And in the first few paragraphs of his speech, he was good to his word.

Jonathan Rouis, the chairman of the Sullivan County Legislature, gave his first state-of-the county address on February 21 and warned of tough financial times ahead. He said taxes were high, towns are struggling to provide services and the costs of upcoming capital projects, such as the state-mandated new county jail, have put the county in a “precarious situation.”

But he also pointed to accomplishments over the past two years, such as implementing new fiscal policies to ensure that the government operates more efficiently.

Then he outlined various initiatives intended to promote economic development. First, there was the new “strategic plan.” Building on the 20/20 plan developed by the planning department, Rouis said the county will create an inventory of the resources of the county, towns and villages to take stock of natural, cultural and agricultural resources, as well as those of industry and businesses. He said after the inventory is completed, which would take no longer than three months, the county would begin discussing new ideas for a strategic plan.

In the area of casinos, Rouis, who has long been a staunch casino supporter, said while they might be part of the future, the county needs to “stop counting on casinos to be the only economic catalyst for our communities.” He said the county needs development “that would be complimented by casino growth, but not dependent on it.”

In the furtherance of attracting more development to the county, Rouis proposed a new Sullivan County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), which would be an umbrella organization that would oversee the Partnership for Economic Development, the Center for Workforce Development, the Industrial Development Agency, the county chamber of commerce and the visitors association. Rouis said the work of these organizations, which all focus on some part of economic development, is “fragmented.”

He foresaw bringing all the groups together in one yet-to-be developed building in the corporate park in Rock Hill. The time frame for this eventuality is unclear because some of the agencies are locked into long-term leases, but Rouis made clear that he wanted to see cooperation among the agencies. He said, “The time for turf wars and many different economic approaches is over. If we are going to move our county forward on the smart, sustainable and fiscally responsible path that our residents deserve, it must be accomplished as one team, united in message and goals.”

Ramping up the green movement

Perhaps the most widely supported initiative announced at the speech is one that further commits the county, which passed a green initiative last year, to the practices of sustainable development. Rouis proposed the creation of the Sullivan County Sustainable Energy Commission to be chaired by lawmaker Ron Hiatt.

Rouis said the commission “will be a multi-pronged effort designed to not only improve the county’s energy consumption, but also offer sustainable energy production opportunities for public and private entities within the next 12 to 18 months.”

After the speech, Hiatt said that millions of dollars could be saved across the county simply by conserving energy. The commission will deal with that aspect of energy, but also, he said, “There’s no reason in the world why we can’t look into generating energy ourselves and thereby save more money and perhaps make a little money. There are models elsewhere for that and I think it is an achievable goal.”

Dick Riseling, a founding member of Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development, has long advocated for a more aggressive sustainable energy initiative within the county. He was pleased with the energy initiative and Rouis’ initiatives as a whole because they involve investing in the people, farms and businesses that are already here.

He said, “We have to take responsibility for ourselves, instead of having outside people come in. They do it for us and to us, and then they export the profits. I think Jonathan has an excellent economic development model… it’s a brand new day for economic development.”