County Executive George Borrello has made very clear his priority to bring more town, village, city and foundation officials onto the county’s economic development team.

We hope that priority means the recent situation in the town of Ellicott won’t happen again.

Patrick McLaughlin, town supervisor, attended last week’s county Industrial Development Agency board meeting to ask that local municipalities be given more information on projects. McLaughlin was concerned over the IDA’s purchase of 66 acres of land on Peck Settlement Road in Ellicott’s Mason Industrial Park from Bush Industries. The purchase created more land for possible development, but it also resulted in a $110,000 decrease in the town’s tax assessment — meaning town taxpayers will have to pay more on their yearly tax bills to make up the difference. McLaughlin said he didn’t learn of the sale until informed of the taxable assessment decrease by the town assessor.

The sale wasn’t hidden by any means. The sale happened during a public meeting that had been announced to the public. The land sale was covered by The Post-Journal and other media attending the meeting. But McLaughlin is right — the ramifications should have been more clearly spelled out to everyone involved, including town officials, before the sale was finalized. The IDA should make every effort to make sure town, village, city and school districts are notified and involved any time the IDA plans to take action that will decrease taxable assessments.

The only way for Chautauqua County to thrive is to have everyone involved in economic development pulling in the same direction. That can’t happen when one partner feels they are being shortchanged by another partner. This isn’t the first time a local partner has expressed concern with the IDA. We hope the county’s new economic development leadership makes it the last.