The new state monitor of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency, Brian Sanvidge, said his goal was to leave the entity a better place than he found it.
Since being appointed by the state inspector general’s office in late March, Mr. Sanvidge has met with Orange County IDA leadership, attended board and committee meetings, and sent out his first request for internal documents.
A principal at Manhattan-based accounting and advisory firm Anchin, Mr. Sanvidge has extensive experience in forensic accounting and has served for years as a consultant for the City of New Rochelle IDA, an experience he will draw on for his new role.
“The first item on my to-do list is to get a firm understanding of all of their active projects—what went into the decisions that were made to approve them and what are the results of those projects,” Mr. Sanvidge told The Epoch Times on April 24.
As a public benefit entity, Orange County IDA was authorized by state law to offer various tax breaks to companies to encourage them to set foot in or expand in the county.
Common incentives come in reduced sales, property, and mortgage recording taxes.
In reviewing agency records dating back to the beginning of 2023, Mr. Sanvidge and his team will examine not only the approval process but also the fruits of tax breaks.
“If a company said in its application that it was going to provide x number of new jobs in this period of time, did it actually do that?” he said. “We all recognize that projects can run into some hurdles, but we want to make sure that the developers are putting in their good faith efforts to meet the commitments that they made.”
One of his action plans is to help Orange County IDA establish a dashboard to showcase the progress of active projects on a timely basis for greater transparency.
“And my goal here is not only to add transparency to the whole process, but it is also to assist them and make recommendations for their internal controls, for their conflict of interests, and for their policies and procedures,” Mr. Sanvidge said.
“We can always make things a little better.”
Mr. Sanvidge is due to produce his first periodic report to the state government in about six months, which will touch upon the records reviewed, the methodology used in reviewing the documentation, the analysis of completed and active projects, and recommendations to perfect agency policies and procedures, he said.
He signed a two-year contract for the monitor role, with total expenses not exceeding $500,000, which the Orange County IDA will pay for.
“I fought long and hard for a monitor in last year’s budget, and I am glad Mr. Sanvidge’s appointment has finally been made,” Mr. Skoufis said in an April 25 statement to The Epoch Times.
“Industrial development can be a great thing for communities, but it needs to be done with our hardworking taxpayers top of mind.”
Orange County IDA Executive Director Bill Fioravanti said that despite his disagreement with Mr. Skoufis over the need for a state monitor, he looked forward to having Mr. Sanvidge on board as an adviser.
“We are absolutely approaching it positively and constructively,” Mr. Fioravanti told The Epoch Times. “[Mr. Sanvidge] is certainly not going to identify any malfeasance or anything improper. However, we still have plenty of room to be better and to be more effective, and I think Brian is going to help us identify those opportunities and help us get there.”
