County Watch
By G. L. Penney

 On August 10, the Tioga County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) held a public hearing regarding the proposed chicken farm adjacent to the Best Buy property in the Town of Nichols. Since I did not attend, I know only what I saw later on television. It seemed that all who spoke were opposed. I recognized some of the people as members of the Nichols Town Board and thought it strange that they should be pleading against a land use which I thought ought to be within their control.

 Then, at a work session on August 18, the county legislature discussed a PILOT program favoring the Hampton Inn. They were told that of their two representatives on the IDA board, one had voted against the PILOT program and one had abstained. The consensus of the legislature was that although they disapproved the action of the IDA, they did not have the authority to overrule them.

 The IDA is an organization financed by tax dollars both federal and local which is not elected by the people. Yet they seem to have the authority to decide important public issues. This same IDA is the organization that was given the county property on Route 434 for $1. Something is wrong here!