If the quality of life can be measured by the quality of per-capita income, a recent study indicates the region west of the Hudson River could use an infusion of good-paying jobs. The nonprofit Orange County Citizens Foundation made that determination and many others easier to understand and compare when it unveiled its Quality of Life report Sept. 6.
Some of the discoveries researchers reveal jarred some foundation board members. “We discovered the value of homes rose 19 per cent but that income rose by only 4.5 per cent,” said Nancy Proyect, foundation executive director. “This means it is becoming more out of reach for our younger people to become homeowners, something we desperately need to keep vital services here and keep the spirit of volunteerism possible here.”
While most of the villages and towns in Orange County reflect homeownership at more than 60 percent, all three of the county”™s  cities ”“ Middletown, Port Jervis and Newburgh ”“ showed a decrease in owner-occupied properties over the past 18 months to 39.4 percent.
Additionally, cost-burdened renters, defined by the study as persons spending 30 per cent or more on their gross monthly income for rent, represent 40 percent of Orange County households. One bright spot, noted Proyect: “We are not losing our younger people, as other areas are. We were pleased to discover our 25- to 44-year-old population group has remained within Orange.”
Orange County also has proved to be a county on the commuter circuit: According to U.S. census and Orange County Planning Department figures used in the report, Orange County residents who traveled outside New York state earned almost two times more than those who worked within its borders. Those who commuted outside of the county but within the borders of the state also made more. The mean total income for those who lived and worked within the county was $38,979, with an average annual wage of $35,218.
The average municipal time for commercial development approval ranged from one month (village of Kiryas Joel) to one year (village of Harriman). Vacant land in commercial areas accounted for 1,273 parcels, or 6.5 percent of total parcels; commercial land with minor improvements, 27 parcels, or 0.1 per cent; and industrial vacant land with minor improvements, 27 parcels or 0.1 per cent.
Orange County has one Empire Zone within its borders: the Newburgh-Stewart Empire Zone, with 98 certified businesses. There are eight Build-Now NY sites in Orange County, the highest number of sites within New York state.
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While there have been questions raised as to the productivity of the Empire Zone and indications it has been abused throughout New York in giving tax breaks, it is still being utilized. Patrick Foye, newly appointed executive co-director of the New York State Business Development Corp., indicated in January that Empire Zones may be frozen until they can be scrutinized by the state. So far, that has not happened, but there have been delays in approval as a result.
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706 farms
Orange County still has the largest number of farms within the Hudson Valley (706), followed by Dutchess (667), Ulster (582) and Sullivan (381).
Tourism spending generated sales taxes of $13,773,355 for the 2004-2005 calendar years.
The total number of hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts rose from 2,769 in 2002 to 3,137 in 2007.
Quality-of-life issues, including transportation, parkland, recreation, health services, public school statistics, tax rates and environmental concerns, were part of the report, which also addressed social issues like infectious diseases and drunk driving.
A variety of Orange County sources were used to compile the Quality of Life report. Federal and state statistics were used to compile the data, as well.
“We also had private input from members of our board and from citizens of Orange County,” said Proyect. “Overall, I think we have covered the gamut from cradle to grave when it comes to where Orange County is going and what it will take to make improvements where they are needed.
“We plan to update this report every two years,” said Proyect, “and we are only sorry that our next report will not coincide with the 2010 census. However, by 2011, when we publish our third report, we will have time to disseminate what 2010 census figures mean to us as a county and to the Hudson Valley. Eventually, we”™d like to see this report include all of our counties and that they all participate in it to help us work on our common strengths and weaknesses.”
The $40,000, 168-page study was funded by grants obtained by state Sen. William Larkin and The Dyson Foundation. Proyect gave kudos to to the School of Business at SUNY New Paltz and Ann Barber Consulting for their research expertise in compiling the data “in a form that we can read and comprehend,” said Tom Weddell, chairman of the foundation.
The full report and the opportunity for public feedback will be available at www.occf-ny.org by the end of September.
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