NY Taxpayers Built Norsk Titanium a $125m HQ and Factory to Create Jobs That Cost $370K Each

Should New York State taxpayers be happy about building Norsk Titanium a $125m headquarters and factory in Plattsburgh in return for Norsk creating “383 direct and indirect high-tech jobs over the first five years? ” Plattsburgh is a small city of 20,000 people about 315 miles north of New York City near the Canadian border, and is the county seat of Clinton County, population 80,000.  Plattsburgh’s median household income in 2014 was $34,460 a year, far below the state household income of about $58,000. The median salary for Plattsburgh public school teachers is $64,000 a year. In 2017, Plattsburgh’s government, and related entities, had a budget of $54m. Plattsburgh needs help. But is spending $125m in state funds to build Norsk Titanium a new HQ and factory the best way to provide that help? And, what happens if Norsk Titanium walks away in ten years, or five? How about putting the Norsk deal online where the public can see the terms?