STRONG GROWTH
Economic index shows Saratoga County doing well
An index released Thursday on how the county is doing economically showed a continuation of its recent strong growth patterns and an unrelenting draw for domestic and international migration.
The good news was presented to approximately 75 business leaders from around the county at a noontime luncheon at the Vista at Van Patten Golf Club in Clifton Park. The presentation was made by officials with the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, the county’s designated economic development agency.
In his opening remarks, Prosperity Partnership board chairman Kevin Hedley, a Halfmoon businessman, set the tone by reminding everyone that economic development is a collaborative effort.
“We want to work with all our communities to continue to drive our economic success and capitalize on our assets,” he said. “We want to do things that are not just about taxes.”
In presenting the index itself Prosperity Partnership President Marty Vanags focused on six themes that he said were indicators of the county today. The themes included county population, levels of education, household income, housing, employment, and opportunity.
“We want to work with all our communities to continue to drive our economic success and capitalize on our assets,” he said. “We want to do things that are not just about taxes.” — Prosperity Partnership board chairman Kevin Hedley
With 4.5 percent growth in its population since 2010, Saratoga County continues to trend upward and is the fastest area of population growth in upstate New York, Vanags said. With a total population of 227,053 it is second in population to Albany County and closing fast.
Touching on the educational levels of the county’s residents Vanags said, “We’re smart. Educational obtainment is a figure often used in economic development and Saratoga County’s is strong.”
Citing statistics Vanags showed 39.6 percent of county residents have undergraduate degrees and 17 percent have post-graduate degrees.
With housing Vanags noted there is a wide diversity of housing if one looks county-wide. In the previous four year period Saratoga County led the four surrounding counties in housing permits, he said.
Though there was a slight increase in the unemployment rate last year, Vanags said for the most part “most of us are working”. In fact, his statistics showed 67 percent of county residents are working while the state average is 63 percent.
“When you have a low unemployment rate and a large number in the work force it’s difficult for employers to find workers,” he said.
On the theme of opportunity, Vanags used slides to show there is a diversity of industries in Saratoga County and employment within these industries is growing.
In discussing the theme of household income in the county, he noted that it continues to move upward and has had a 14.5 percent increase since 2010, the largest percentage increase in the state.
Vanags was a bit stunned, however, to find that the Town of Clifton Park with an annual household income of $97,600 topped the list.
“This surprised me, how large it was,” he said.
Vanags was also surprised when he found the biggest issues for local employers were said to be talent, cost of living, and local taxes.
“I found the tax answer surprising since we have the lowest taxes in the state,” he said. “Overall I think we’re fortunate to live here. I think the economy is doing well. I am concerned with some of the issues we saw.”
A panel discussion that followed included panelists representing government, business, and finance. In a series of questions Vanags let each panelist use their specialty to comment on what they see going on in the county economically.
In answering a question on what makes the county so successful, each of the four men, banker Charles Wait, financial expert David N. Deutsch, Saratoga County Treasurer Drew Jarosh, and Saratoga County Administrator Spencer Hellwig, focused on the diversification of the county’s economy over the last 30 years.
However, one man seated at a front table felt his industry had been left out of the discussion entirely. Chris Koval of Koval Brothers Dairy in the Town of Saratoga came to the luncheon representing agriculture in the county.
During the entire 75 minute event the word agriculture didn’t come up once.
Koval is a third generation dairy farmer. He has 500 cows and produces the majority of the milk sold in Stewart’s Shops. He also sits on the Town of Saratoga Planning Board.
“We’re getting killed,” he said. “Agriculture is such a big part of the economy and no one is doing anything to help the farmers. We have big concerns about the future of our food security. What will happen to our food supply if there is something like climate change? We won’t be able to grow our own food here because all our land we’ll be gone. We’re getting pushed out.”
He noted the irony that he was listening to a talk about the state of the county’s economy while eating lunch and agriculture was never mentioned.
“My concern is, are we doing anything to protect some of this land. Are we part of this country or not,” he said.
Koval noted the number of small businesses that are supported by farmers like him and the fact that the money he earns stays in the county.
“Go ask the people we buy from and they’ll tell you, the farmers pay their bills,” he said. “Our businesses run year around. We’ve got to have some help with milk prices and we’ve got to do something to protect some of the land. It can’t all be $500,000 or $1 million homes like I have going up by me. We just don’t seem to be part of the big plan.”