As Ryan McMahon begins his second full term as Onondaga County Executive, he expects county business over the next four years, to be dominated by the single largest private investment in New York history.
2024 is the year any non-believers in the $100 billion Micron project change their tune said McMahon.
"They're going to start seeing the progress in '24 and they're going to start believing in that progress in 2024," McMahon said. "That's exciting."
It was October 2022 when Micron announced it was going to create a mega-complex of computer chip plants in the town of Clay. Construction starts this year — computer chips will begin sliding off the line in 2026. So McMahon’s second term will be driven by how the county executes on the Micron opportunity.
"You're going to be seeing large public sector investments, private sector investments, people coming into the community, more housing, more center driven town center driven developments happening and with that more amenities, right?" McMahon said. "We're going to be competing for talent, and we're going to need to continue to reinvest back in the community for the things that make us unique and the things that the community wants. Quality of life is going to become really important for the retention of job talent."
All this means the county will be busy on a number of fronts: improving the county's infrastructure, upgrading roads and water and sewer systems, implementing the county’s new comprehensive plan, drawing more supply chain companies to the area and also workforce development.
McMahon said a focus on Micron doesn’t take away from major social issues that need to be tended to.
"The more growth we see, the more resources we have to help resolve issues like an opioid crisis, to help build up mental health medical infrastructure in the community, to help continue to build up child care infrastructure," McMahon said. "We've made child care more affordable, but now we need to build up that workforce and that infrastructure there as well for all these jobs that will be coming to the community."
McMahon said county government will be in the middle of it all.
"This is a $1.5 billion operation with 3,500 employees and 29 different areas of expertise," McMahon said. "And each area of expertise has a lot on their plates for 2024, but we're going to have a great year."
