Northampton County Council voted Tuesday to cut grants for a hydroelectric plant and for renovations to the IronPigs baseball team’s stadium.
Those are preliminary votes. Council will meet again Thursday to vote on County Executive Lamont McClure’s 2023 budget and the amendments to the spending plan made Tuesday.
The budget included $50,000 for the IronPigs from the county’s hotel tax fund, which is used to promote tourism. The decision largely came down to the team’s location in Lehigh County, owner of the stadium. The team is privately owned.
Allentown City Council’s decision in October not to contribute $1 million toward the estimated $10 million cost of renovations was also cited.
“It’s their team, and they said ‘no,'” Commissioner Kerry Myers said of Allentown. County council members are known as commissioners.
Major League Baseball has demanded renovations to the stadium, which opened in 2008. The IronPigs play at the AAA level, the top rung of the minor leagues.
The team is affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies, an organization valued at $2.3 billion by Forbes. Bryce Harper, the designated hitter for the Phillies, made $26 million this year, or about $160,000 per game.
The IronPigs have committed to staying at Coca-Cola Park, despite the Allentown vote. Lehigh County, the State of Pennsylvania and the team are contributing to the cost of renovations.
Commissioner John Cusick opposed the $1.15 million grant to New England Hydropower on multiple grounds. The Massachusetts-based company proposes placing an “Archimedes screw” along the Lehigh Canal in Easton to generate electricity. The technology is named for Archimedes, the ancient Greek who is credited with inventing the technology.
“Ultimately, this is nothing more than corporate welfare,” Cusick said. New England Hydropower is privately owned and Cusick said private investors, not county government, should be involved.
“I don’t think taxpayers should be venture capitalists,” he said.
The hydroelectric proposal was first proposed in 2018. A company official told council Nov. 17 that the COVID-19 pandemic held up work. Cusick said the estimated price has doubled to $10 million from $5 million in four years.
Commissioner Tara Zrinski, who advocates for environmental causes, objected to cutting the funding. She pointed out that the county’s contribution matches state funding. She said dropping the funding could lead to litigation.
“We need to honor our commitment,” she said.
Cusick said the money set aside for the Archimedes screw could go to core county functions, such as preserving open space. He also wants to create a student-loan repayment program to keep and attract employees.
McClure’s $544.8 million spending plan leaves taxes at 10.8 mills, or $540 for a property assessed at $50,000. Each mill equals $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. The amendments voted on Tuesday represent a very small portion of McClure’s overall budget.
Council’s last two meetings of 2022 will be held Thursday, Dec. 1 and Thursday, Dec. 8. They will be held in council chambers at the government center in Easton and be broadcast on the Internet.
Read More:Northampton County Council preliminary votes cut funding to IronPigs, hydroelectric plant