The Chautauqua County IDA board and staff during the February 27, 2018 board meeting in Jamestown.
MAYVILLE – The new county economic development director says he wants to make the decision-making process for future economic development initiatives more open and transparent.
Newly hired Chautauqua County Industrial Development CEO Mark Geise, who also serves as the Deputy County Executive for Economic Development, is announcing several new initiatives aimed at improving transparency and increasing community engagement.
Geise said the efforts will include taking the CCIDA on the road, offering community informational sessions on proposed projects and tax abatements, publishing agendas sooner, and undertaking an economic development strategy.
In recent years the IDA only held meetings at the IDA offices in Jamestown or the SUNY Fredonia Incubator in Dunkirk. Also, agendas for monthly meeting were not provided to the public until the start of the meeting, making it difficult for the public to know in advance what business would be taken up.
Geise says the efforts were in response to Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello’s pledge to make substantive changes to the IDA that would result in it being more proactive and transparent, while seeking to better integrate with its community and service providing partners.
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