The North Country Chamber of Commerce has released the results of its Annual Issue Survey, including its annual Business Confidence Index, revealing continued business optimism for the year ahead along with a strong call for further government and spending reforms in both Albany and Washingto

1. 2012 ISSUE SURVEY RESULTS
FEDERAL ISSUES:
1) HOW DO YOU CHARACTERIZE YOUR POSITION ON THE INCREASING
LEVELS OF FEDERAL SPENDING AND DEBT?
a) I am very concerned. Federal spending and debt must be decreased ..93%
b) I'm supportive. I think it is necessary for the economy ....................... 7%
2) THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS SHOULD DO THE FOLLOWING TO SUPPORT
ECONOMIC RECOVERY, GROWTH AND JOB CREATION:
a) Reduce federal spending .............................................................. ................89%
b) Reduce mandates and regulations on employers .............................. ................89%
c) Tax relief for businesses and job creation ........................................ ................81%
d) Changes in Social Security and Medicare for future recipients ....................... 35%
e) Tax increases on business and higher income families to support higher
federal spending .................................................. ..............................................8%
f) Higher federal spending on federal programs .............. .....................................4%
g) Stronger government involvement in private business .....................................2%
h) New benefit and pay mandates on employers .................................. ................2%
NEW YORK STATE ISSUES:
3) NEW YORK STATE CONTINUES TO FACE BUDGETARY AND FINANCIAL CHALLENGES
FOR 2012 AND BEYOND. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS DO YOU SUPPORT? (CHECK
ALL THAT YOU AGREE WITH):?
a) Consolidate state agencies and their back-office operations .............. ..........94%
b) Reduce costly mandates on schools districts and local governments ............90%
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2. c) Restructure public employee benefits to more closely align such benefits
with comparable private sector benefits, particularly in such high cost
areas as health insurance and pensions ................................ .........................85%
d) Enact a new Tier VI public pension law for new state employees in the future
that includes a defined contribution option...................................................... 82%
e) Enact permanent cost-saving reforms in major state programs such as
Medicaid ...... ..................................................................................................68%
f) Reductions in state taxes and fees .................................................................66%
g) Increases in state taxes and fees ....................................................................2%
h) Increase state mandates on employers and job creation in New York State 1%
4) SHOULD THE STATE LEGISLATURE SEND A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
ALLOWING STATE APPROVED CASINOS TO STATE VOTERS FOR A PUBLIC
REFERENDUM?:
a) Yes ........................................................................................................73%
b) No .........................................................................................................27%
5) DO YOU SUPPORT SIGNIFICANT MANDATE RELIEF FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND
SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS THE NEXT STEP IN CONTROLLING PROPERTY TAXES,
FOLLOWING LAST YEAR'S ENACTMENT OF A PROPERTY TAX CAP?:
a) Yes .......................................................................................................96%
b) No ........................................................................................................ 4%
6) DO YOU SUPPORT STATE REGULATORY RELIEF AND SIMPLIFICATION TO HELP
REDUCE COSTS AND TIME DELAYS AND TO CREATE A REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT
THAT IS LESS ADVERSARIAL?:
a) Yes................................................................................................................ 98%
b) No................................................................................................................. 2%
7) OVERALL, WHICH TWO STATE ISSUES ARE YOUR TOP PRIORITIES THIS YEAR? (PLEASE
CHECK ONLY TWO):
#1: Reduce state mandates which cause higher property taxes
#2: State regulatory relief and simplification
#3: Reduce state spending and taxes
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3. REGIONAL ISSUES:
8) SHOULD EXISTING RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE ADIRONDACK/NORTH COUNTRY
REGION CONTINUE TO BE PRESERVED AND USED IN SUPPORT OF FUTURE TOURISM
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT? (Examples: Tahawus railway from North Creek and
Adirondack Railroad from Utica to Lake Placid):
a) Yes............................................................................................................. 90%
b) No.............................................................................................................. 10%
BUSINESS CONFIDENCE INDEX - -
9) WHAT IS YOUR GENERAL 2012 OUTLOOK FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING IN
COMPARISON WITH 2011?
YOUR SALES/BUSINESS ACTIVITY: 69% UP
22% NO CHANGE
91% BUSINESS CONFIDENCE INDEX
YOUR EMPLOYMENT: 21% UP
6% DOWN
73% NO CHANGE
NEW YORK STATE ECONOMY: 38% UP
17% DOWN
44% NO CHANGE
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