STEUBEN COUNTY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND

The Steuben County Legislature recognizes that a diversity of employment opportunities is a key component of the high quality of life that Steuben County residents should enjoy. To assist in achieving that employment diversity, the Legislature has established an Economic Development Fund, the major purpose of which is to provide an additional funding source for projects aimed at the creation and retention of employment opportunities for the residents of Steuben County. The following policies have been established as a framework  for the use of this fund.  It is the goal of the Steuben County Legislature to have a funding source with as much flexibility as possible. Therefore, these policies should be viewed as general guidelines.  Any potential applicant having a project which can enhance the Steuben County economy is urged to contact the Steuben County Planning Department to discuss the project further.  Any applications accepted, or subsequent funding decisions, will be subject to the approval of the Steuben County Law Department as being within the scope and legal authority of the Steuben County Legislature.
 

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Applications will be accepted from municipalities, i.e. towns, villages, and cities; other units of local government, i.e. school districts, water districts, sewer districts, etc.; Industrial Development Agencies and other non-profit economic development organizations.  Private businesses or individuals are not eligible for funding.
 

ELIGIBLE PROJECT ACTIVITIES

It is anticipated that most applicants will request funding for public infrastructure improvements such as roads, bridges, drainage systems, and other public improvements within the authority of County government.  Other eligible activities may also include such things as economic development planning, site acquisition and development, and related activities typically carried out by municipalities or economic development agencies.  In addition, applicants are encouraged to view the Economic Development Fund as a source for local matching funds to leverage federal, state, or private funding sources. 
 

LEVEL OF FUNDING

There is no minimum amount of funding which may be requested.  Maximum funding levels will be determined by the overall size and impact of the project, as well as the amount of other funding being leveraged.  However, it is anticipated that most grants will not exceed $250,000.
 

PROJECT RATING 

As stated previously, it is the desire of the Steuben County Legislature to provide a funding source with as much flexibility as possible.  An evaluation process has been developed which allows for a wide variety of potential projects, but still incorporates the major priorities of the funding program.  This process is based on the following criteria:

Job Creation/Retention
 While funding is not available to private businesses directly, it is anticipated that a major focus of project proposals submitted by the public and non-profit applicants to the Economic Development Fund program will be the creation or retention of jobs in the Steuben County economy.  Applicants should document the job impact of the proposed project as specifically as possible.  While the creation or retention of public sector jobs should be noted, the primary focus of the rating process will be private sector job creation and/or retention.  In keeping with the goal of program flexibility, there is no absolute value which will be used as a county dollars/job ratio.  However, the project rating will be enhanced as the funding level per job decreases.  The applicant should have strong documentation of job impact from any employers affected by the proposed project.
Leverage of Investment
Another important aspect of the evaluation process is the amount of other funding being leveraged.  Projects should show, where appropriate, as much private investment as possible.  As with job creation, there is no absolute ratio of private to county dollars, but the project rating will increase as the private to public ratio increases.  Also, project ratings will be enhanced by the use of county dollars to match state or federal grant or loan programs.  If a project is determined to be worthy of funding, the County will provide a letter of commitment which can then be used in applications for state or federal funding.  The actual award of county dollars may, however, be withdrawn if the applicant fails to receive the other funding.
Tax Base Expansion
When appropriate, applications will be rated according to the extent of tax base expansion which will result from a proposed project. 
Public Health,Safety, and Quality of Life Considerations 
While the primary focus of the Economic Development Fund is the creation or retention of jobs, the Legislature also recognizes that there may be projects which are composed primarily of activities which address major public health or public safety issues, or which enhance the general quality of life, without necessarily creating or retaining jobs.  These types of activities are often as critical to the health of a community’s economy as the creation of jobs, and applications for funding to assist them may be considered. The purpose of the project should be thoroughly described, and the need well-documented.  These projects will be reviewed using the same criteria as the job-related projects, including the leveraging of other funds and tax base enhancement, where appropriate.  It should also be noted that more traditional job-related projects may also have public health, safety, and/or quality of life aspects which may strengthen the application, and these should be fully documented.
Local Support
The purpose of the Economic Development Fund is to assist in the funding of projects which are being proposed by municipalities, IDA’s, or other economic development entities.  The intent is not for the County to unilaterally plan, design, or implement projects.  For this reason, it is important that any application include some type of evidence that there is local support for the proposal.  This evidence may include resolutions of the municipal governing board, minutes of public meetings, etc. 
Environmental Review
It is the responsibility of a project’s primary sponsor to assure compliance  with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).  While it is unlikely that the SEQRA review process will be completed at the time of application to the Economic Development Fund, any obvious environmental issues surrounding the project should be identified by the applicant.  Final funding decisions will be contingent upon the satisfactory mitigation of any negative  environmental impacts inherent in the project.
 

APPROVAL PROCESS

Application Submittal - Applications will be accepted at any time.  The Steuben County Planning Department will provide the applications, and assistance in completing them. 

Project Rating - Applications will initially be reviewed and evaluated by the County Administrator and the Planning Director.   In keeping with the goal of flexibility, there will be no numerical scoring of projects, but rather a more subjective determination of how the project relates to the criteria outlined above.  Aspects of the application addressing each of the criteria will be rated from “poor” to “excellent.” Following the initial project evaluation, the Administrator and the Planning Director will prepare a report and recommendation to the Agriculture, Industry, and Planning Committee. 

Project Approval - The AIP Committee will receive the report and recommendation of the County Administrator and Planning Director.  Whenever possible, the Committee will receive the report and recommendation prior to their regular monthly meeting, allowing sufficient time for their review.  They may then take action at the meeting, or request additional information and postpone action to a subsequent meeting.  Upon an affirmative vote of the AIP Committee, the application will be submitted to the Finance Committee.  Approval by the Finance Committe will result in a resolution for funding presented to the Steuben County Legislature.  Upon passage by the Legislature, the resolution will authorize the County Treasurer to appropriate funds from the Economic Development Fund. 
 

Click here for Application for Funding (pdf)

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