By Dave Lucas
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-919623.mp3
Albany, NY – The New York Secretary of State has awarded "Local Efficiency Grants," aimed at improving services and lowering taxes. Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez has announced the recipients of 20 Local Government Efficiency (LGE) awards totaling $871,490. Gabe Roth, spokesman for the New York Department of State, says that the grants, known as "planning grants" and "implementation grants," range from 30 to 50-thousand dollars each. He emphasizes that the grant money comes from LAST year's state budget. These are the first LGE awards since the implementation of the "New New York Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act" earlier this year, which empowers citizens to place questions of municipal consolidation or dissolution on a popular ballot by collecting petition signatures from voters.
The Department of State will continue to provide assistance to municipalities to help them understand the changes created by the new law and to provide them with tools to develop the best information needed to supply to the voters.
Since the inception of the LGE program in 2005, the Department of State has funded 294 shared services projects with a projected long-term savings of more than $418 million for taxpayers from a $46 million state investment.
A list of the grants is as follows:
Municipal consolidation and/or dissolution studies:
Village of Alden dissolution study (into the Town of Alden, Erie County)
City of Batavia's preparations for new charter that incorporates the Town of Batavia (Genesee County)
Village of Candor dissolution study (into the Town of Candor, Tioga County)
Village of Chaumont dissolution study (into the Town of Chaumont, Jefferson County)
Village of Depew dissolution study (into the Town of Cheektowaga, Erie County)
Village of East Aurora dissolution study (into the Town of Aurora, Erie County)
Town of Ossining municipal consolidation alternatives study (with the Villages of Ossining and Briarcliff Manor, Westchester County)
Town of Rye dissolution feasibility study and Village alternatives analysis (Westchester County)
School district reorganization and shared services studies:
District reorganization study for Glens Falls City School District and Glens Falls Common School District (Warren County)
District reorganization study for Ichabod Crane and Schodack School Districts and shared service options (Columbia and Rensselaer Counties)
District reorganization study for Ilion and Mohawk Central School Districts (Herkimer County)
District reorganization study for Jefferson, South Kortright and Stamford Central School Districts and shared service options (Delaware County)
District reorganization study for St. Johnsville and Oppenheim-Ephratah School Districts (Montgomery County)
Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES Regional High School study and planning project (Ontario County)
Other municipal shared services and efficiency projects:
Dissolution feasibility study for the Gordon Heights Fire District (Suffolk County)
Consolidation study for the Hamlin and Morton-Walker Fire Districts (Monroe and Orleans Counties)
City of Newburgh charter revision and sustainability plan (Orange County)
Consolidation Study for Orange County Sewer District #1
Study on ways to improve Town of Philipstown's emergency service organizations (Putnam County)
Schenectady County public works and highway projects countywide sharing study.
The 2010-11 state budget authorized up to $5 million for grants for local government efficiency and consolidation. Local officials should feel free to contact a program administrator with any questions at (518) 474-4752 or at SharedServices@dos.state.ny.us.