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MT. KISCO, N.Y. - The Mount Kisco Urban Renewal Agency has been legally abolished, an action that streamlines the process for approving new businesses in Mount Kisco.
The legislation, which was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo July 30, will save taxpayers money, according to its authors, State Sen. Greg Ball (R, C Patterson) and Assemblyman Robert Castelli (R, C Goldens Bridge), who said the public authority, which was introduced in the 1970s, had become obsolete.
Mount Kisco Mayor Michael Cindrich originally begun the effort to abolish the agency and sought the help of Ball and Castelli, whom he commended for recognizing the Urban Renewal Agency was an unfunded mandate which has outlived its intended purpose.
In a release from his office, Ball said the law is a step in the right direction to eliminating wasteful government spending and helping streamline job creating projects in Mount Kisco and beyond.
This is exactly the red tape that stifles small businesses and job creation in New York State, Ball said.
According to the release, the Urban Renewal Agency has been delaying local development in Mount Kisco. It forces the Village Board of Trustees to act as the agency on projects in the village, and, in effect, makes it perform a function that duplicates the role of the villages Planning Board.
This reform has been in the works since the passage of the Public Authorities Reform Act in 2009, which allowed the state to flag public authorities for evaluation.
Castelli agreed with Ball that this act is an important first step, but additional legislation is needed to deal with state agencies with overlapping functions and duties.
There are 113 other inactive or partially-defunct public authorities like the Mount Kisco Urban Renewal Agency still on the books, some of which even have the authority to hire staff, bond, and borrow money, Castelli said in the release.
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