Chautauqua County Legislature voting meeting held on July 23, 2025
The Chautauqua County Legislature approved performance measures for the Planning & Development Department, but voted down an amendment to add job creation goals.
The goals approved include improving the quality of life of all county residents, implementing state-mandated programs to ensure compliance, supporting smart growth principles, Complete Streets, and placemaking initiatives in downtown corridors; focusing on long-term economic sustainability, while minimizing environmental impacts and preserving natural resources; promoting, protecting, and celebrating the County’s tourism destinations while preserving and improving water quality, support biodiversity, and ensure the sustainable use of water resources; focusing on long-term economic sustainability; and improving the business environment in Chautauqua County.
Jamestown Democratic Legislator Fred Larson motioned to amend the resolution to make job growth a number one goal of the Legislature in 2026. He said the objective would be for County Government use all of their resources to facilitate new and existing businesses to add jobs above and beyond the 51,000 people employed as of May 2025, “If job creation is not the number one priority for our County Economic Development for 2026, I would ask those at the moment who are inclined to shoot this down.. I would ask them, ‘Well, what is the number one priority for county economic development?’
Republican Legislator Fred Johnson said he voted against this amendment in committee, “As an economist, I do not believe it is the government’s objective or role to dictate creating jobs. It is the government’s role to create an environment that in itself will create jobs. So, I do not agree with the amendment.”
Legislator Terry Niebel echoed Johnson’s comments, saying that New York State ranked 49th in the nation for being business friendly due to restrictions imposed on businesses.
Larson countered that the annual report from the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency and Planning & Development Department claims their assistance has resulted in new and retained jobs in the past year, “What would be new here is.. there is no measurement for a healthy economy in Chautauqua County. If there were we would declare our county that’s lost 14,000 employed in the last 15 years.. we would declare it needing to go to the intensive care unit.”
The amendment failed along party lines by a vote of 4 to 13. The original resolution passed.
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