COMMERCE CHENANGO MEMO

Leading Business, Leading Communities™

Weekly Update of Happenings & Business Tips for Chamber Members

Week of Aug 25-29, 2008

"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers." -- Voltaire (Writer/Philosopher)

Chamber Member Good News

• Congratulations to Leah Sutherland, Mang Insurance Agency, who recently passed the New York State Property and Casualty Broker’s exam and is now a licensed Property and Casualty broker. Leah has been with Mang since 2007 as a customer service representative.
• Your good news could be here!

Business Council Statement on Special Session
“The legislature’s decision to reduce spending despite massive special-interest pressure and hysterical advertising attacks is a victory for all New Yorkers,” said Kenneth Adams, president & CEO of The Business Council of New York State.

“Governor Paterson chose a bold, prudent and responsible course by confronting New York’s fiscal crisis. The legislature has answered the Governor’s call and responded with real cost reductions,” added Adams.

“While these “cuts” simply reduce the growth in state spending this year to more reasonable levels, we recognize that they are difficult choices, especially in an election year and the legislature should be commended for taking this action,” said Adams.

“The State Senate Majority showed true courage in rejecting the Assembly’s call for new taxes. New York cannot tax its way out of this crisis. New taxes will only do more harm to economy. The tax and spend business-as-usual policies in New York created this crisis. Now the state must chart a new course to spend less, borrow less and tax less,” concluded Adams.

Assembly Addresses New York's Expected Winter Home Heating Crisis
Assembly Energy Chair Kevin Cahill, together with Assembly Majority colleagues and groups advocating for consumers, senior citizens and low-income New Yorkers joined together at an Albany news conference to "sound the alarm" and call for action on the expected home heating fuel crisis facing New Yorkers this winter.

"Given the record high price of home heating fuel, far too many New Yorkers will have to choose between heating their homes throughout the long months of ice and snow and bitter cold that are coming and feeding their families. We cannot wait until the crisis is upon us before we act," said Cahill.

Earlier this year, the Assembly Majority advanced a proposal which will effectively and meaningfully help New Yorkers combat the rising costs of home heating through enhancements of the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and energy conservation measures.

"At a time when our economy is in a decline and New York is facing serious economic challenges, Shell and Exxon Mobil recorded a 2008 second quarter profit of nearly $12 billion each and Chevron and every other Big Oil Company enjoyed another quarter of record profits," said Cahill. The Assembly Majority called for action out of concern for the New Yorkers who do not have the resources to heat their homes this winter.

"Many New Yorkers are expected to struggle this winter with the high cost of home heating oil," said Cahill. "The Assembly Majority has developed and passed a plan to provide an additional $550 million to enhance the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and $250 million for energy conservation measures and home energy efficient programs. Our plan will help more families to qualify for much needed assistance. We don't want anyone in our state to have to choose between heating and eating."

In anticipation of a crisis, the Assembly developed and approved a responsible plan (A.11590) in June to include:

• $550 million to enhance the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), effectively doubling what is available to eligible recipients and expanding the program to include middle income New Yorkers. This would increase the size of the regular HEAP grant and raising the income eligibility level to 80 percent of median family income from the current 60 percent. For example, under this proposal, a family of four would be eligible for HEAP assistance if household income was up to $55,500, instead of the current $41,600.
• $250 million for energy conservation measures, including weatherization and home energy efficient programs.

Under the bill already passed in the Assembly, funding for the plan would be generated through:

• A two percent gross receipts tax on large oil companies, which are currently experiencing a huge growth in revenues.
• A retroactive measure to recapture windfall profits dating back to 2005 when the sales tax on gasoline was capped at two dollars.
• Prohibiting oil companies from passing along the additional costs to consumers through increases in prices.

Assembly Majority Leader Ron Canestrari said, "Over the past year, New Yorkers have seen home heating costs increase by more than 75%. We in the Assembly majority recognize the severity of this problem and have developed a comprehensive plan to combat it. Speaker Silver and Energy Committee Chair Kevin Cahill have demonstrated true leadership in addressing this critical issue which will impact millions of New Yorkers this winter. I applaud them and echo their message today that the time to act is now."

Assemblyman Bob Reilly said, "Recent quarterly financial reports unambiguously demonstrate that current profits of oil companies are unreasonable and some would say obscene. Many New Yorkers face a personal financial crisis this winter when increases in heating fuel some on top of the already increased costs of gasoline, food, and many other oil dependent products. The Assembly's plan to help New Yorkers in this time of crisis is simply what good government must be about."

The NYC Coalition Against Hunger recently reported that the number of meals served by City-supported soup kitchens and food pantries was nine percent higher in spring of 2008 than a year before. This was based on data from the City's Human Resources Administration. Dunlea noted that the skyrocketing cost of energy and food appear to be long term trends rather than merely a short term crisis. Read the full story at http://assembly.state.ny.us/Press/20080804/.

Save the Date
September 16th ~ Business After Hours @ Chenango Memorial Hospital ~ 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. CMH will begin an extensive $800,000 renovation of the Medical/Surgical inpatient unit on the third floor sometime in September. You are invited to join them for an informational evening, including tours, refreshments, and a presentation of the detailed renderings of the project. Watch for your invitation in the mail!

September 17th ~ “Demystify Finance in Just One Day!” Seminar
This powerful one-day seminar was specifically designed for non-financial people. In just one day, you’ll learn: what accounting is, and how it affects your job and your responsibilities; increase your confidence as you contribute your ideas in financial planning meetings with upper management; speak the language of the people who control your organization’s purse strings; develop performance reports that show planned vs. actual income and expenses; cut through the complex jargon of accounting; build a reputation for consistently being on budget and more...

The programs is slated to run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m on September 17th at Morrisville State College, Norwich Campus, Community Room. Register by September 12th with Rachel at 607-334-1402 or email rcrandall@chenangony.org to get the discounted rate of $99.00.

Sept. 25th ~ Networking Luncheon sponsored by Frontier Communciations ~ at the Genegantslet Golf Club, beginning at 11:45 a.m.

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 premier website at www.chenangony.org.