Next Meeting

	Wednesday, June 14, 2006
	Water Street Landing 115 South Water Street, Lewiston
	5:30 pm Board of Directors Meeting (Please be prompt) 6:30 pm Cocktails (Cash bar) 7:00 pm Dinner Meeting

Please RSVP to the NCBA office by the Friday, June 9th if you wish to attend.

President's Message

Member Participation?

Our monthly board board and general membership meeting was held on May
10, 2006, at the Hideaway Grille in North Tonawanda. I was quite upset at the lack in attendance of our board members and general members. Like other associations across the state, our association is memberdriven. In order to make our association successful now and in the future, we as members need to attend the meetings, conduct business for the betterment of the association,
acquaint ourselves with new members, and be attentive to the speakers presenting information on all subjects relative to our business. We also have social events, such as our annual golf outing, annual picnic, and our yearly holiday party. This association is trying very hard to provide information through our revised newsletter to our members, but we still need members to be present at our
meetings to provide input and create success for and pride in our association. We always need your help, so please participate as much as possible.

On another note, as a follow up to the public hearing in North Tonawanda and other communities
in the area regarding anti-growth issues (see May newsletter), the following article appeared in Nation's Building News:

Quality of Life found to Rise with Residential Growth

A new study from researchers at NAHB challenges the assumption of local zoning official that residential development is detrimental to the quality in their community. Using two sources of data for their analysis, the NAHB researchers clearly showed that there is a positive correlation between growth and the quality of life. “Many local decisions made by the officials concerning growth and
development” are based on the perception that additional growth will deteriorate the quality of life, the study says. “Elaborate public policy initiatives, such as impact fees, urban service boundaries and mandatory land conservation are designed and implemented in order to mitigate the ‘negative consequences of growth’ and to ‘preserve quality of life.’ All too often, the many benefits of growth - such as job creation, increased cultural and educational facilities, transportation improvements
and improved health care facilities-are overlooked within the context of considering further development. While local governments have a responsibility to respond to the needs of their citizens by utilizing local land use tools such as zoning, they need to apply those tools with a better understanding that improvements to their community also occur through growth and development,” the study says.

Larry Quigliano II
NCBA President

Legislative News

Starting with this newsletter, we will continue to feature articles on the most important issue concerning all of us -- New York State Workers’ Compensation. Businesses around the state are clamoring for relief. In October, Niagara County’s Delphi Corporation filed for Chapter 11, citing skyrocketing workers’ compensation costs as one of the reasons for the company’s financial problems. If Delphi were to close, 3,800 New Yorkers would lose their jobs. The average workers’ compensation premiums in New York State are 15 percent above the national average,
and the average workers’ compensation claim in the state is 86 percent higher than the national
average. In his 2006-07 State Budget, Governor Pataki has proposed reducing employers’ workers’ compensation costs by more than 15 percent, while increasing benefit levels for injured workers by 25 percent. Now it’s up to state legislators to turn this proposal into law!

Listed below are a few workers’ compensation resources available on the Internet:
NYS Workers’ Compensation Board - www.wcb.state.ny.us
New York State Insurance Fund - www.nysif.com
NY Compensation Insurance Rating Board - www.nycirb.org

Legislative Agreement - Energy Tax Bill

An agreement has been reached in Albany on an Energy Tax Bill which caps New York State sales tax on gas at $2.00 per gallon with the following local sales tax options:

• Fixes the state sales tax on motor fuel and diesel fuel at eight cents per gallon (the equivalent of sales tax collected on $2 per gallon under the current structure). This will reduce prices by about 4 cents per gallon, depending on current prices and blend.
• If average gas prices drop below $2 per gallon, the fixed state sales tax will decline proportionately in one cent intervals.
• Allows local governments the flexibility to choose to either: (1) continue to tax gas based on price as they currently do, (2) opt into a cap similar to the state cap of a fixed amount based on $2 per gallon, resulting in additional savings to the consumer, or (3) opt into a cap of a fixed amount based on $3 per gallon or less, preventing any further tax increases if the cost of gas continues to rise. The choice of either fixed amount (i.e. choices 2 or 3) must be done by adoption of a local law or ordinance.
• If a local government chooses either of the fixed amounts per gallon and gas prices drop below the cap, the fixed local sales tax will decline proportionately in one cent intervals.
• Directs the Department of Taxation and Finance in cooperation with the State Consumer Protection Board to monitor motor fuel retail prices and to impose civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation for each day a seller does not reduce retail prices in response to the reduction in sales taxation.

Other provisions of the legislation:

• Allows New York City to reduce or eliminate their sales tax on residential heating fuels.
• Creates a personal income tax credit for the replacement of a home heating system that is ENERGY STAR® compliant. The credit is equal to 50 percent of the cost of such replacement not to exceed $500.
• Provides consumers with a personal income tax credit for the purchase of home heating fuel that contains biodiesel. The credit is equal to one cent per gallon for each percentage of biodiesel in a gallon of home heating fuel. Based on an average consumption of 800 gallons per year, a 20 percent blend would generate a $160 credit.
• Requires the State Thruway Authority and NYSERDA to develop a plan by December 31, 2006 to make alternative fuels, such as ethanol, available at Thruway service areas.

NCBA Officers & Directors

Notes from Executive Office

On behalf of the Niagara County Builders Association and its membership, I would like to welcome our newest member, whose application was approved by the board last month.

Welcome Ken Dewey, Jr., president of Dewey’s Landscaping, located at 7277 Shawnee Road,
Wheatfield NY, 14120 (phone: 693-6053, cell: 480-0305). The application was sponsored by Larry Quigliano II.

We have a new member application submitted for approval at June's meeting: DFT Security, Michael Gurnett, 403 Main Street, Suite 250, Buffalo, NY. The application is sponsored by John Ennis.

Reminder: Reservations for our monthly meetings are very important. Please RSVP to the NCBA office by June 9th via fax, e-mail or voice mail.

Notice to all Participants in the Parade of Homes 2006

At our June 14, 2006 membership meeting, Jim Cleveland, the account manager for the ENERGY STAR® program in our area, will be our speaker. Jim will be presenting the latest updates to the
policies and procedures for the 2006-07 ENERGY STAR Labeled Home programs. It is important
that all New York ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes to be featured in our Parade of Homes meet all
requirements described in the 2006-07 Technical Specifications and the New York ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes Addendum to the EPA Partnership Agreement, and we should aggressively market these homes with the ENERGY STAR brand. If these homes do not meet New York ENERGY STAR display home requirements, we may lose our eligibility for co-op advertising.

Benefits of NCBA Membership

When you joined the Niagara County Builders Association, you automatically became a member of the New York State Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders, providing you with the best in information, advocacy, education, and networking opportunities,
as well as full-time lobbyists and the grassroots strength of over 225,000 working on Capitol Hill,
in your state, and in the communities where you do business.

Membership provides networking opportunities with fellow professionals, customers, and suppliers at monthly membership meetings, regional trade shows, national committees, and special-interest councils. You can also attend NAHB’s trade shows and expositions and get a first-hand look at all the industry’s latest products and services.

For over 60 years NAHB has been keeping you up-to-date with Nation’s Building News Online, a
comprehensive weekly summary of the housing industry, and a free subscription for builder and
architect members to Builder Magazine. NYSBA members also receive a free bi-monthly copy of
Empire State Builder magazine.

Finally, NAHB’s purchasing power means big savings for you with member-only discounts on car rentals, office products, PCs, payroll services, overnight delivery, and more. Participating
companies include Dell, General Motors, Paychex, Pitney Bowes, MBNA, DHL, Roadway,
and Hertz, to name a few.

Join over 225,000 industry professionals dedicated to the housing industry. Whether you’re a
multi-family or custom builder, a remodeler or supplier, membership in your local, state, and national associations provides the tools you need to succeed! Visit www.nahb.org and www.NYSBA.com for complete details.

Home Remodeling Heads for Another Record Year

May 22, 2006 – Based on NAHB analysis of recently released third-quarter data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans spent an estimated $215 million on residential remodeling in 2005, a record.

As the industry enters its peak season, NAHB economists are projecting that the volume of residential remodeling will surge 13.2% this year, the largest in a decade, to a new record of $238 billion.

“We have seen extraordinary growth in the remodeling industry over the past year, and we expect to surpass that in 2006,” said Vince Butler, chair of the NAHB Remodelors™ Council and president of Butler Brothers Corporation in Clifton, Va.

Butler, along with NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders, participated in a recent Remodelors™ Council teleconference, held in conjunction with celebration this May of National Home Remodeling Month. “National Remodeling Month marks the start of the remodeling season,” Butler said, “and we see this as an opportunity for our council to remind home owners of the many resources we offer those looking to hire a remodeler.” Butler noted that home remodeling offers numerous benefits to home owners who want to change their living environment without uprooting their family and moving. Home improvements can add more space for a growing family or older family member, improve energy efficiency and increase the resale value of the home.

“The most popular remodeling projects continue to be kitchens and baths, which usually get the most return on the investment,” Butler said during the teleconference. “Home owners want to concentrate on the areas where they spend the most time.”

Retirees, especially the baby boom generation, increasingly prefer to be able to “age in place” or continue living in their homes safely, independently and comfortably, regardless of age or ability level. To help the remodeling industry adapt to meet those specific needs, the Remodelors™ Council created the Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) designation, which is the only program of its kind.

“The majority of our customers are baby boomers, although we are also seeing strong growth within the Gen-X market as well, Butler said. “People want to let their house adapt with their needs as they change over time.”

The most critical decision home owners will make when embarking on a remodeling project is choosing the right professional for the job, he said. Choosing a professional remodeler can save both time and money by ensuring that the job is done right the first time and results in what the home owner envisioned. Professional remodelers understand that keeping consumers comfortable during the work and completing the project successfully depend on effective communication and follow-through, and they will guarantee the quality of their workmanship with a warranty.

“During this busy time, home owners need to be particularly careful about unscrupulous contractors,” noted Butler. NAHB offers guidelines on how to select a professional remodeler.

Consumers can find more information at www.nahb.org/remodel. For more information, e-mail Jim Lapides at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8451.

Reprinted from National Association of Home Builders website