County approves $10.7 million host community agreement with Alle-Catt Wind Energy

County approves $10.7 million host community agreement with Alle-Catt Wind Energy

By RICK MILLER

Olean Star

LITTLE VALLEY —Cattaraugus County will receive $10.7 million over 20 years under a host community agreement with Alle-Catt Wind Energy.

County lawmakers unanimously approved the pact with Alle-Catt submitted for immediate consideration by County Legislature Chairman Andrew Burr on Wednesday.

It is a turnaround for the county legislature, which in 2018 voted to prohibit the independent Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency from offering a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to very large wind farms like Alle-Catt.

The IDA approved a PILOT with Alle-Catt for the portion of the 340-megawatt wind farm in this county worth nearly $38 million in early February, then rescinded that vote 10 days later over a missing date in a public hearing notice. 

School districts within the Alle-Catt footprint in Cattaraugus County said they had not been sufficiently notified of the IDA hearing.

There was no discussion on the resolution during the open legislature session on Wednesday. Most legislators learned about it in the closed party caucus held prior to the meeting.

Burr expressed the appreciation of the legislature to all county officials who worked on the project. Negotiations with Alle-Catt have apparently been ongoing for several months.

After the meeting, Legislature Vice Chairman Ginger Schroder, who is also a member of the IDA, told the Olean Star it was increasingly apparent that the wind farm project “was a done deal,” mostly because the state is promoting alternate energy projects like Alle-Catt, which is already installing components.

“We maximized the value from the developer to county taxpayers,” said Schroder, the legislature Finance Committee chairman. The county had not counted on a host community agreement.

The third paragraph of the resolution states: “Whereas, the company acknowledges that the project may result in some adverse impacts to the local community, and wishes to provide a community benefit and to demonstrate good citizenship by making benefit payments to the county as a means of mitigating and offsetting any adverse impacts that may arise , and as a means to improve and maintain the physical, natural, business, and social environment of Cattaraugus County.”  

The towns of Freedom and Farmersville, where opposition to the wind farm and its 600-foot-high turbines ran high, were counting on host community agreements they had negotiated and urged the county to drop its opposition.

An alternative energy PILOT is based on a payment of $6,000 per megawatt. The county, town and school district each receive a portion of the PILOT. 

Schroder said the county also insisted that Alle-Catt give up its mortgage recording tax exemption. That is worth more than $7.6 million.

As a result, the Town of Freedom will receive an additional $2.3 million as its share of mortgage tax, the Town of Farmersville will get $675,103, Yorkshire $33.036 and Machias $218.51. The county will receive $1.5 million and there is another $1.5 million in additional mortgage tax and $1.5 million in special additional mortgage tax.

Under the PILOT the IDA agreed to in February, then later rescinded, the county would receive $8.2 million over 20 years. That amount is not expected to change when the IDA approves a new PILOT.

In addition, Schroder said, the county asked Alle-Catt to provide the towns with a better host community agreement than the ones they negotiated earlier with Freedom and Farmersville.

The IDA, Schroder said, will not agree to a PILOT if the towns and school districts do not agree they have been treated fairly regarding host community agreements. 

Schroder has been a long-time opponent of the wind farm over health and aesthetic concerns. With the state taking local municipalities out of the equation for the siting of wind farms, the county and towns needed to get the best deal for the taxpayers, she said. 

Invenergy, the parent company of Alle-Catt Wind Energy, is utilizing 30,000 acres across parts of Cattaraugus, Allegany and Wyoming counties. It is designed to provide power for 134,000 homes.

Legislators also authorized grant documents with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for $258,433 for nine snowmobile clubs with trails in the county. The clubs and 2025-25 grants are:

• Ashford Snowmobile Club, West Valley, $14,861.
• Elibomwons Inc., Randolph, $62,205. 
• Enchanted Mountain Border Riders, Westons Mills, $6,072.
• Franklinville Snow Sled Club, $34,474.
• Portville Snowmobile Club, $18,216.
• Snow Bounders Inc., Cattaraugus, $74,722.
• Southern Tier Snow Drifters, Springville, $19,140.
• Tri-County Drift Hoppers, Sandusky, $22.044.
• Western New York Snowmobile Club of Boston, $6,699.

IN OTHER ACTION, legislators:

• Appointed Erin L. Whitcomb as the new county attorney effective Jan. 1, 2026. She replaces Ashley Smith, who was elected district attorney. Whitcomb currently serves as the county Social Services commissioner. “I appreciate your confidence in me and I look forward to continuing to serve the  community,” Whitcomb told legislators.
• Reappointed Darryl Bloom as public defender for a four-year term.
• Approved modifications to Cattaraugus County Agricultural District #5 following a public hearing on its eight-year review.
• Approved the IDA’s issuance of a PILOT for a $15.5 million expansion of Edelweiss Dairy in the town of Freedom. The new facility will include a 120-stall rotating milking parlor in a 60,000 square-foot facility and four cattle barns with more than 526,000 square feet. In addition, a manure separation facility with more than 20,000 square feet is planned.