Babylon IDA appoints interim CFO for agency to the job permanently
The Babylon Town IDA, which recently appointed a new chief financial officer, is at 47 West Main St. Credit: Johnny Milano
Susan Hatalski will be the Babylon Industrial Development Agency’s new full-time chief financial officer, a position she previously filled on an interim basis.
Hatalski, who has been with the IDA since 2005, replaces Gary Rupp. Rupp held the CFO position part time since his appointment in January 2019. IDA board members voted 7-0 to approve the change during their Aug. 26 meeting.
IDA chief executive Tom Dolan said Hatalski’s experience and her prior job as budget director for the New York Institute of Technology qualified her for the new role.
Hatalski will be paid an annual salary of $120,000. She declined to comment.
“She’s played a real important role here handling a lot of the financial growth over the years that we’ve had,” Dolan said. “She’s a great asset here to the IDA.”
Hatalski will handle Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, billing as well as banking financial services, Dolan said.
Hatalski served as deputy to then-CFO Kathy Harris, who worked at the IDA from 2004 until retiring in February 2018. Hatalski stepped into the role on an interim basis until Rupp’s appointment. Joe Ninomiya was brought in as deputy CFO and trained by Hatalski.
Dolan said they delayed appointing Hatalski to the job permanently so she could train Ninomiya.
Rupp, a CPA who contracted with the town for auditing services, is no longer with the IDA but will be available if needed, said Kevin Bonner, a spokesman for the Town of Babylon.
The IDA, which grants tax reductions to businesses, approved tax breaks to a few companies in August. Those businesses include Spring Valley-based Educational Bus Transportation Inc., which operates out of the industrial section of West Babylon, and Linzer Products Corp., a manufacturer and wholesaler of paint applicators and sundries that is also based in the hamlet.
