In the coming weeks, New York’s lawmakers will pass a budget that determines how the state will spend over $230 billion in public money. It’s a massive sum, bigger than most countries’ budgets, and outpacing every other state except California.

At stake are key questions for New York’s future. Will the state invest in treatment centers for people struggling with opioid addiction? Will it stop subsidizing the expansion of fossil fuel–based heating systems? With a declining incarcerated population, how many prisons can the state close?

When the houses of the state legislature introduce their budget proposals this week, negotiations over these issues — and many more — will kick off in earnest.

If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel, visited an aquarium, ordered something on Amazon, or paid your utility bill in New York, your life may have been impacted by a little-known local authority called an industrial development agency. Under state law, IDAs have the power to dole out tax breaks to corporations in order to promote the “economic welfare” of their communities — and as a result, they play a huge role in shaping the tax bases of towns, counties, and school districts.

The agencies comprise a sizable chunk of New York’s economic development apparatus. The state hands out nearly $11 billion in subsidies annually to lure corporations, with mixed results, little oversight, and plenty of scandal.