Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Economic development agency defends metrics and says jobs counted as full‑time equivalents
Summary
Empire State Development officials told legislators the agency uses a broad database to report program metrics including economic impact, tax effects and jobs measured in full‑time equivalents; lawmakers pressed for clearer return‑on‑investment standards and local accountability for large projects.
Commissioner Knight, testifying for Empire State Development (ESD), told legislators the agency maintains “one of the most extensive databases in the country” of economic incentives and reports multiple metrics — including estimated tax impact and employment measured in full‑time equivalents (FTEs). “We look at full time equivalent,” Knight said when asked how jobs are counted.
Why it matters: Several legislators pressed ESD officials about standards for evaluating programs, whether the state gets “bang for the buck,” and how the agency ensures large projects benefit historically underserved communities.
Key points - Metrics and database: Knight said ESD reports economic impact, tax impact and numbers of employees and that the agency uses FTEs as a standardized jobs metric. He described a public database of incentives ESD maintains for oversight and comparability. - Program evaluation: Knight told lawmakers there is not a single target rate of return for every program; expected returns vary by sector and policy objective (for example, supporting an emerging industry may entail higher per‑job investment). - Local projects and accountability: Legislators asked about how ESD coordinates with other agencies and local governments on site‑specific projects (e.g., sewer capacity on Long Island, downtown redevelopment, and state‑owned property conversions). Knight described stakeholder engagement and noted agencies sometimes work together to align infrastructure and project readiness. - Social‑equity and small business programs: Members pressed Knight on social‑equity outcomes for cannabis programs and on transparency for funds (including community grants). Knight said some programs are run by other state entities (for example, DASNY) and that ESD can provide metrics it controls; he pledged to follow up with members with more specific figures.
Discussion vs. decisions The hearing focused on oversight and follow‑up: Knight agreed to provide district‑specific project lists and further data on metrics. No budget votes or statutory changes were adopted during the hearing.
Ending note Lawmakers told ESD they want clearer outcome measures and more actionable reports on whether incentives achieve stated economic and equity goals. Knight said ESD would provide more data and emphasized that evaluation depends on program purpose and sector context.
