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Local group pitches county-funded “one-stop” economic development hub
Summary
A presenter asked Cayuga County legislators to fund a centralized office, phone system and website to serve as a single point of contact for multiple local economic development organizations, and requested roughly $56,500 for start-up costs plus reimbursement of a prior $12,500 payment to the SBDC.
A presenter asked the Cayuga County Legislature to consider funding a centralized “one‑stop shop” for local economic development organizations that would provide a single contact point, shared office space and a virtual phone system.
The presenter, Andy, told legislators the partnership would be a looser collaborative of existing organizations and would include CCIDA, CCDC, the Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the county Soil and Water group, among others. "We've been working on the idea," Andy said. "What we'd like to accomplish this year is to set up a single contact point for economic development."
Andy outlined a plan for a shared physical office where staff from participating organizations could sit or reserve space, a centralized phone number (a low‑cost PBX that forwards to the organizations) and a county‑facing website that would link to each partner's pages. He asked the legislature to consider $56,500 for startup costs to build out office space, install the phone system and create the website, and he said the IDA had previously paid the SBDC $12,500 and the partnership would request reimbursement for that payment.
Legislators asked about who would pay ongoing rent and whether partner organizations currently pay for space. In response to questions about rent, Andy said the group had looked at several properties and that an estimate discussed in the meeting was roughly $60,000 (one speaker later referred to a $30,000 annual figure as a possible split). Andy also said some partners already have office arrangements (for example, the Chamber and Soil and Water currently occupy space) and that others operate remotely or in borrowed space. Mike Miller, identified in the discussion as a director, was mentioned as a potential on‑site staff resource who might take on additional duties for the shared location.
Legislators requested a list of participating organizations, the lead contact for each, whether each organization currently pays rent and how much space they occupy. Andy said he would provide those details to the clerk for distribution to legislators.
No formal vote or funding decision was taken during the presentation; the item was introduced for discussion and the legislature asked staff to return with the requested clarifying information.
The presentation drew practical questions about budget sources and cost sharing. Legislators repeatedly asked whether partner organizations would contribute toward rent and whether the county's requested contribution would simply replace existing payments to the Chamber. Andy and other presenters agreed to provide a detailed list of organizations, whether they have staff or paid employees, current rent amounts if any, and the square footage they would need if they were to move into a shared office.
The matter remained at the discussion stage at adjournment; legislators asked staff to circulate the requested details and to follow up at a subsequent meeting.
