June 8, 2007
The 2007 County Directory is now availabl
The 2007 County Directory—the only up-to-date comprehensive listing for elected and appointed county officials across the state—is now available through NYSAC. This easy to use, county-by-county reference also has separate listings of county executives, county board chairs and more than 20 affiliated county associations.
To order your directory, visit http://www.nysac.org/About/County_Directory.php .
NYSAC sets Fall Seminar dates!
The 2007 NYSAC Annual Fall Seminar will be held September 19-21, 2007 at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany. The NYSAC staff is in the process of putting together a top-notch program of standing committee meetings, educational sessions and plenary activities designed to support the ongoing efforts of today's county officials.
Check our website for updates at http://www.nysac.org/Conferences/Fall_Seminar.php .
Governor Unveils Food Stamp Initiative
Governor Spitzer and the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) this week unveiled their new initiative that would extend federally funded food stamp benefits to as many as 100,000 additional households, or more than 200,000 people, over the next 18 months. NYSAC received a briefing on the new program directly from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. The program is entitled, Working Families Food Stamp Initiative, and does require some federal approval (i.e. a federal waiver). If approved, the plan would allow New York to waive many of the complicated enrollment requirements, such as the face-to-face interview and finger imagining, that are seen as most onerous by working families. The program would be implemented in New York City initially, and several upstate counties before being rolled out statewide. Under the program, families with an adult working thirty hours per week, or households with two adults who each work at least twenty hours per week, would be offered a simplified and streamlined application process. Additionally, OTDA is working on developing electronic application filing capability. A project team is currently evaluating other states’ models. (Jessica Morelli)
Human Trafficking Legislation Signed
The Human Trafficking Legislation being discussed for several weeks (and covered extensively in national and state media) was signed by Governor Eliot Spitzer on Wednesday, June 6th. NYSAC issued a memorandum in support of this important legislation. The newly enacted law includes the following provisions:
- Creates a class B felony for those who engage in sex trafficking;
- Creates a class D felony for those who engage in labor trafficking;
- Removes ambiguity in existing law to assure that District Attorneys can bring felony charges against those who run “Prostitution Tourism” businesses;
- Provides victims with important services such as emergency temporary housing, access to healthcare, drug addiction treatment, translation services, and job training. It also requires law enforcement to coordinate with the federal government to assist victims in obtaining special visas that allow them to remain in the United States and eventually become eligible for refugee assistance; and
- Creates an interagency task force to recommend best practices for training and outreach to the law enforcement community and to service providers, as well as to gather data on the number of victims and effectiveness of the new law.
NYSAC and Westchester Argue Before NYS Court of Appeals
On behalf of member counties, NYSAC and Westchester County argued a case this week before the State’s highest court. The law stems from a series of regulatory amendments adopted by the State University Board of Trustees in 2003 to increase the fiscal independence of Community Colleges.
“It has been our longstanding position that many amendments proposed by the State University system are irrational and simply not practical,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario.
Traditionally and statutorily, county governments serve as the local sponsors of the community colleges, providing one third of the college’s annual operating costs and one half of capital costs. Among SUNY’s amendments in 2003 were measures designed to dissociate that financial relationship between a county and its community college. In response Westchester County and NYSAC filed an article 78 proceeding to challenge the changes.
The Supreme Court granted the Counties’ petition declaring the amendments contrary to law, annulling them and directing the SUNY Board to promulgate new regulations in accordance with Education Law. The Appellate Division, Third Department reversed the order and dismissed the Counties’ petition, saying “the phrase ‘terms and conditions’ does not require the conclusion that local sponsors possess line item approval authority. NYSAC and Westchester County now await a decision from the Court of Appeals.
(Stephen J. Acquario)
Governor releases proposal to cleanup Brownfields Law
This week Governor Spitzer unveiled a plan to restructure the state’s 2003 Brownfields Cleanup Program. An analysis of the first 25 industrial clean projects certified since that time has indicated that only a fraction of the tax credits granted were related to actual remediation costs The Governor’s proposal would redirect state tax dollars to provide incentives for site cleanups.
Highlights from the proposal include:
- changing the existing brownfields tax credit structure to cover the full cost of brownfields remediation while providing additional incentives to encourage development of newly remediated sites;
- requiring that participating parties responsible for contributing to pollution at a site pay a greater percentage of clean-up costs;
- revising tax credits to encourage parties to undertake more rigorous clean-up efforts that adhere to higher standards, and
- expanding reporting requirements by the recipients of the tax credits.
Although the issue was discussed at this week’s meeting between Governor Spitzer and Legislative Leaders, there was no firm commitment to act on this proposal before the end of session on June 21st. (Pete Savage)
NYSAC Releases Policy Brief on New York State’s Population Growth
NYSAC this week released a policy brief that examines estimates of population recently released by the US Bureau of the Census. “The population estimates released by the Census Bureau provide for a grim assessment of the future of out state, it current trends continue, according to the report, entitled The Population Shuffle, The latest US Census Population Estimates and how they Impact Counties.
The policy brief indicates that:
- New York’s percentage of population growth rate of 1.7% ranks 43rd in the nation since the last census,
- 29 Counties have lost population, 28 in Upstate New York
- An additional 10 counties grew at less than the states overall rate of 1.7%, 9 of which are Upstate counties,
- New York state is in danger of losing millions of dollars in federal funding,
- New York could lose as many as 2 additional congressional seats following the next census,
- New York continues to lose young people with a -7% decline of people between the ages of 25 – 44, and
- Primary school age children between the ages of 5 and 13 years of age declined by -9% since the last census.
The policy brief examines the population estimates, and provides information on steps county leaders can take to prepare for the 2010 Census to ensure an accurate count of county population.
For a copy of the policy brief, visit www.nysac.org/documents/PopulationShuffle.pdf .
Ellsworth Named County Finance Official of the Year
Fulton County Treasurer Bruce Ellsworth has been awarded the annual County Finance Official of the Year Award by the New York State County Treasurers and Finance Officers Association. This award is presented to one County Treasurer or Finance Officer who has provided outstanding “service and leadership” on behalf of county finance officials statewide.
“Bruce Ellsworth’s wealth of knowledge regarding county finance and his willingness to share it is of great benefit to me and my colleagues from across the state,” said Orleans County Treasurer Susan Heard, who nominated Ellsworth for the award. Mr. Ellsworth has served as Fulton County Treasurer for over 16 years, having first been elected in 1991, and serving as Deputy Treasurer for five years before that. “Bruce Ellsworth has consistently shown true leadership to our Association and has demonstrated his dedication to the issues of importance to county finance officials,” said David Squires, Tompkins County Director of Finance and President of the Treasurers and Finance Officers Association.
Ellsworth has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Plattsburgh State University, in addition to an Associate’s Degree in Accounting from Fulton Montgomery Community College. He is a lifelong resident of Fulton County, currently residing in Northville with his wife Debbie and two sons, Matthew and Jared. (Ken Crannell)
Local Government Commission Hearings Start Next Week
The Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, created by the Governor to address local government merger, consolidation, regionalized government, shared services and smart growth, has scheduled a series of four public hearings across the State. The dates and locations are:
- June 13 – Saratoga Springs
- July 25 – Long Island
- October 24 – Buffalo
- November 28 – Hudson Valley
The first public hearing will be held at the Saratoga Springs Public Library from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Wednesday, June 13th. The hearing will feature a presentation from nationally recognized scholar David Rusk, author of Cities without Suburbs, and include both scheduled testimony and testimony from the audience. Following the testimony, the Commission will begin its deliberative session, which will also be open to the public.
Further information on the June 13th hearing is available on the Commission’s website at http://www.nyslocalgov.org/pdf/Saratoga_Hearing_61307.pdf . (Ken Crannell)
Next Week
- The Assembly and Senate are scheduled to be in Legislative Session from Monday through Thursday.
