October 12, 2011

Save the Date

 October 19^th
“Meet the Candidates” Business After Hours with Sidney Federal Credit Union 5900 County Road 32 & State Highway 23, Norwich
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Take this opportunity to network with local candidates prior to Election Day in a relaxed social environment.  Chamber member business owners and their employees are urged to attend.

 Member Good News

Norwich Aero has been granted “Safety and Health Recognition Program” (SHARP) certification from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration and the New York State department of Labor. The SHARP program recognizes employers who operate an exemplary safety and health management system.  Norwich Aero is one of only 66 companies to attain SHARP certification in New York State.

Business Information

 Greene Floodfest raises $17K

Greene’s Floodfest, held Oct. 2 at the Genegantslet Golf Course, raised $17,000 for southern Chenango County residents affected by flooding — $2,000 more than the event’s goal.

Floodfest also saw the donation of more than 2,000 pounds of food to the Greene food pantry; a trailer load of new and gently used clothing, now available at the Greene Clothing Bank on Genesee Street; a truckload of children’s items including backpacks, notepads, pencils and toys, and another truckload of Christmas items.

If you live in the Greene School District and you need flood relief help, registration forms are available at NBT Bank on South Chenango Street, the Moore Memorial Library on Genesee Street and at www.greenerotary.org. The deadline is Oct. 25.

Affordable Care Act update: Essential benefits, health exchanges, employer pay or play guidance

The long awaited IOM report on essential health benefits (EHB) recommendations was released late last week.

The report details how the Health and Human Services Department should decide which benefits get covered on insurance exchanges and recommends HHS pick benefits to fit within a certain price range.

In addition, the IRS issued recent guidance and request for comments intended to allow employers to better design their plans to avoid a penalty, or calculate and predict their potential tax liability starting in 2014, when the employer mandates begins.

To read more click here. 

Report: Layoffs hit 3 percent of NY teachers

A new report by New York school superintendents finds state aid cuts have resulted in layoffs for nearly 3 percent of teachers statewide this year.

The survey released Tuesday by the state Council of School Superintendents says that in addition to the 2.7 percent of teachers idled by layoffs; another 1.6 percent of open positions were eliminated from the teacher workforce.

Overall, 80 percent of school districts reported cutting teaching positions and two-thirds say class sizes are larger as a result.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo had secured the first cut in school aid in decades after flat funding in the previous two years during the state's fiscal crisis. Cuomo insisted schools could cut waste without harming instruction and specifically targeted growing administration costs.

Why the Jobs Plan Falls Short -- By Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the United States Chamber of Commerce

While the jobs plan President Obama proposed last week contains some ideas that American business supports, it falls short. It focuses too much on government spending and temporary tax breaks and too little on the trade, energy, tax, regulatory and entitlement reforms that will jolt our economy and job market back to life.

The proposed payroll tax cut would likely offer a measure of relief for some small and medium-size businesses. Eligible enterprises that were already planning to add employees will welcome the hiring tax credits offered in the plan. Yet one-year, one-time tax changes will not create new jobs in significant numbers—and unfortunately, neither will the plan as a whole. It fails to adequately address the fundamental challenge facing our economy—too little growth—or the business reality that keeps companies from expanding payrolls—too few customers.

And this week we have learned that the administration won't cut one dime of spending to offset the $447 billion cost of the jobs bill. Instead, successful small businesses, productive industries and those Americans most capable of investing in growth will foot the bill through major tax increases. Any jobs that might have been supported by other measures in the plan would be more than wiped out by these tax hikes. This doesn't make economic sense.

So what should we do instead? The president touched on some of the needed steps to spur growth, boost demand and trigger hiring, but he failed to go far enough and overlooked some important opportunities.

 Read more.

Commerce Chenango Offers “Starting or Expanding a Small Business” 30-Hour Course

The class is being offered in conjunction with Morrisville State College, and will be taught by Steven Ohl, an experienced business and accounting professor. It will be offered on Tuesday nights for ten weeks, starting on October 18^th, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Morrisville State College Norwich Campus. The tuition for this valuable class (workbook included) is just $200.

Microenterprise owners (or start-ups) who successfully complete the course, and meet other screening requirements, may be eligible apply for grant funding through the Chenango County Microenterprise Grant Program. Program participants will be expected to pay tuition to participate in the course, and successful LMI grant recipients will be eligible to have their tuition reimbursed with program funds. Based on identified needs in Chenango County, individuals seeking to expand home-based businesses, register a new child care business, or expand an agricultural or farm based business are encouraged to participate.

A microenterprise is any type of business with four or less employees including the owner(s). In order to qualify for grant funding, the owners must be deemed as income eligible through a screening process, or they must plan to create new job opportunities for low- and moderate income residents of Chenango County. Applicants will be considered for grant amounts of $5,000 to $25,000.

For more information on the Chenango County Microenterprise Program or to register for the small business planning course, contact Jennifer Tavares at (607) 334-5532. 

Member Happenings

October 15^th
5K Walk & Run
Starts at LaFayette Park in Oxford
Time: Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. and walkers start at 10:00 a.m.

Registration fee is $25.00 with proceeds going to Team Chenango who will be walking through the night in June 2012 in San Francisco to raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Call Danielle at 607-343-6036 for more information.