New York appoints independent monitor for Orange County IDA

Following calls for greater transparency and oversight by state and local leaders, an independent fiscal monitor has been appointed to oversee the Orange County Industrial Development Agency.

The Orange County IDA, a small office with an unpaid board that grants property-tax reductions and other benefits for companies that plan to open or expand operations in the county, will be overseen by Anchin in a new appointment by New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang.

The Long Island-based firm is led by Brian Sanvidge, a certified forensic accountant and former inspector general for the New York State Department of Labor.

Sanvidge, set to begin work immediately, will oversee “a team of experienced auditors, accountants, and fraud examiners with extensive experience” monitoring industrial development agencies throughout the state and across the country, according to a statement from the New York State Inspector General.

What happens next

Anchin will provide semi-annual reports to the inspector general, governor, president pro tempore of the senate, and speaker of the assembly, on the fiscal and operational status of the OCIDA. The first report will be issued within the first six months of the monitor’s appointment, and forthcoming reports will be issued every six months thereafter.

State Sen. James Skoufis, a Democrat from Cornwall, initiated a probe into the IDA’s dealings last February over tax breaks he deemed excessive or unnecessary, including $32 million in total tax benefits granted to Royal Wine facilities in Goshen in 2022.

The firm’s appointment was made possible through legislation passed as part of the state’s 2023 budget process, which tasked New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang with spearheading the selection process.

Anchin was tapped by a multidisciplinary panel of senior members of the inspector general’s staff from across the state following an extensive selection and interview process.

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IDA anticipates 'total vindication' from reports

Though he opposed the call to appoint an outside agency to oversee the IDA, Orange County IDA CEO Bill Fioravanti said Friday he welcomed the announcement.

“We have zero doubt that the end result will be total vindication for the IDA and proof that we’ve been doing everything properly and transparently all along,” he said in a statement via email.

Fioravanti decried the legislative process – through 2023 budget negotiations – that allowed for Anchin’s appointment as one not “based on any necessity or merit,” slamming Skoufis’ involvement as “political negotiating in the Hudson Valley and in Albany.”

“We are just a pawn being used for political gain, all at the expense of Orange County taxpayers who essentially have to fund this,” he said. “However, despite the political forces we must deal with, the OCIDA Board and Staff remain focused on bringing quality, sustainable jobs to Orange County.”

Skoufis did not return an email request for comment Friday.

New York State Team reporter Chris McKenna and Times Herald-Record reporter Mike Randall contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Anchin appointed to monitor Orange County IDA's fiscal dealings