Time and again, Long Island’s industrial development agencies have shown they’re dysfunctional and fragmented, at times giving tax breaks to meaningless projects that neither create jobs nor bring significant change to the region. Time and again, the lack of oversight, standards and enforcement produces a system that rewards businesses and developers while hurting local taxpayers.

Recent attempts to provide tax breaks for the Green Acres Mall and for luxury apartments on Long Beach’s “superblock” are among more egregious examples. A recent report from the nonpartisan Citizens Budget Commission provided a commendable analysis of the problems, although some of its recommendations might not be the right solutions.