ALBANY COUNTY — On Monday, the county legislature approved the creation of a new local development corporation called the Advance Albany County Alliance.

“What this provides is almost like a Marshall Plan for recovery after the pandemic,” said Kevin O’Connor, the county’s economic development director. He was referencing the billions of dollars the United States gave to war-torn Western Europe after World War II to rebuild the economy and prevent the spread of communism.

 “The key point here is the leadership, and getting everybody on the same page,” said O’Connor. “I can tell you from my personal experience talking to businesses, there’s a tremendous amount of economic dislocation out there and businesses are not going to survive this if we don’t get this pandemic under control.”

He concluded, “This is exactly what needs to be done and it can’t happen too soon.”

“We’re putting politics aside … We all face a common enemy with COVID-19,” said Andrew Joyce who chairs the legislature, at a press conference on Monday morning.

“At the height of the pandemic, we convened our COVID Economic Recovery Task Force,” he said.

The task force was chaired by Democrat Wanda Willingham who has represented Albany’s Arbor Hill, District 3, since 1999; she’s the legislature’s deputy chair and a founding member of its Black Caucus.

She told The Enterprise earlier that jobs are the key to economic recovery and that the pandemic has brought into stark relief the inequity in communities across the county.

Democrat Matthew Peter, appointed in 2019 to represent District 5, which comprises Center Square, Pine Hills, Washington Park, and Park South in Albany, also served on the task force as did Republican Jeff Perlee, who represents District 31, which includes Altamont and Guilderland Center as well as part of the Hilltowns.

The task force heard testimony from local business owners, chambers of commerce, and business-improvement districts to understand the impact of the pandemic on local businesses. 

Joyce cited “issues with violence and all the after-effects of the pandemic” and said, “I think one of the mitigation efforts we have is jobs. People need jobs. People need to work.”

He said that small businesses and minority-owned businesses “don’t have the resources they need to get to the next step to see their way through.”

The task force reported last month that small businesses need small grants for business expenses and for health and safety upgrades as well as clearer guidance on rules for reopening and support for technical upgrades.

“Small businesses from the cities and towns reported that at their time of greatest need they encountered only frustration in their dealings with the state,” Perlee said in a statement. “We desperately need a ‘one-stop shop’ resource, not just for recruiting new business but in helping existing businesses get the help they need when they need it.”

More coordination is needed, the task force found, to promote buying local, especially for farms.

Willingham told The Enterprise in October, that, although there was a “Shop Local” campaign promoted by the county, “I wish we had done more … to push people out to certain areas.” Instead of just “shop local,” she said, the campaign should be to “shop small businesses in your neighborhood.

Two separate pieces of legislation were introduced on Monday to fund the Advance Albany County Alliance.

— $500,000 would go to the local development corporation to work with towns, cities, and villages  in the county, creating what Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy also called a “one-stop shop.”

“We’re trying to get rid of the layers of red tape,” he said, the idea being to have one voice at the county level that can speak to businesses, as it works with the other municipalities, to fast-track projects; and

— $300,000 would fund for a grant and support program for small businesses, which would be administered by the new LDC. The grants, of up to $2,500, could be used for back rent or to stock shelves, said McCoy.

In addition to the grants, the task force recommended technical support, spending up to $50,000 with a business-consulting firm, to help businesses struggling with operating issues. The program would also provide a free technical network — a collaboration with chambers of commerce and business improvement districts — that businesses could use to navigate government programs.

McCoy said that many large businesses were able to secure coronavirus stimulus aid while “mom-and-pop” businesses did not. He said of a small, neighborhood business, “It’s the fabric of that community … You become family and friends … It’s about the convenience of a neighborhood.”

He also said that the new initiative would help keep businesses on the tax rolls and would also generate sales-tax revenues for the county.

Both of the items — for $500,000 and $300,000 — will be moved to committees to begin the legislative process.

The Republican minority leader, Frank Mauriello, issued a statement of cautious support for the proposals, saying, “The coronavirus pandemic has crushed small businesses and forced many to the brink. As we brace for a second wave, the government should take a cautious yet proactive approach to address the damage done to our economy and begin laying the groundwork for future recovery and growth.

“It is my hope that creation of the Advance Albany County Alliance LDC will help local businesses get back on their feet and attract new businesses to our region. But in these harsh economic times, it’s important that we tread lightly and avoid new spending on programs that would come at an additional cost to taxpayers.”