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The Business Council of Westchester is pleased to support Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the state Legislature for once again delivering an on-time budget that invests billions in infrastructure and economic development and extends the much-needed Brownfields cleanup program, which has been a measure that The BCW has long called for.
In each of these areas, we know these investments are vital to making New York competitive and desirable for business. Among the areas in the state budget adopted earlier this week that The BCW is especially pleased with are the hundreds of millions allocated for the Regional Economic Development Councils (REDC), including $150 million to fund regional priority projects and $70 million in state tax credits for a fifth round of the REDC awards. The BCW has also been a proponent of extending the Brownfield cleanup program, so we welcome the $100 million designated this year, and the nearly $1 billion that will be invested in revitalizing these contaminated sites over the next decade.
The state budget provides new funding for the Tappan Zee Bridge project, which we expect will keep tolls for commuters at reasonable levels, and hundreds of millions for a statewide broadband initiative, which will help our communities and economies stay connected.
Expenditures in these areas are essential and will serve as investments that will ensure New York’s economy continues to move in the right direction.
