May 2, 2008
42nd County Finance School Convenes in Onondaga County
More than 200 county finance directors, treasurers, administrators and budget analysts convened in Syracuse this week for NYSAC Annual County Finance School. This year’s school, dubbed “The Art of Finance” had a strong program highlighted by an Albany Update presentation by NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario and an address by national economist Bryan Jordan, from Nationwide Insurance.
State Division of the Budget Releases Enacted 2008-09 Budget Report
This week, the New York State Division of the Budget released its Enacted Budget Report, which warns that although the current fiscal plan is balanced, budget staffers already face a projected $5 billion gap for the 2009-10 state fiscal year.
In response to the projected budget gaps, Governor Paterson has begun to take steps in the current fiscal year to put in place saving mechanisms. Part of this gap closing action includes what the budget division is calling recurring savings from the across-the-board reductions in the operating budgets for “non-entitlement” local assistance programs, which the budget division values at $205 million for the current fiscal year. (Ken Crannell)
Local Government Commission Presents Recommendations to the Governor
The New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness this week presented its report to Governor David Paterson. The report includes dozens of recommendations through shared services, consolidation and restructuring local government organizations.
Governor Paterson has said he will identify several of the recommendations to include in a program bill for consideration in the State Legislature.
Among the Commission Report’s recommendations includes a proposal to relieve property taxpayers from the escalating cost of housing state and local inmates in county jails. NYSAC has long advocated for jail reforms that would provide increased flexibility for jail management.
Several of the other recommendations in the report would, if implemented, have an impact on county government. NYSAC is evaluating the following proposals.
Regional Services
- Centralize several services at the county level including:
- Assessing
- Tax collection
- Emergency dispatch
- Civil service commissions
- Vital and health records districts
- Create multi-county jails and allow more flexibility in jail management
- Allow counties to share Directors of Weights & Measures and Health Directors
- Allow renegotiation of collective bargaining agreements
- Consolidate IDA’s to regional or county level entities
Modernize Local Government Structures
- Remove most of the statutory barriers that currently hinder the consolidation
- Move toward county-wide fire / EMS management & protection districts
- Allow for municipalities to enter into a property tax base sharing agreement; sharing portion of RPT from future economic growth
- Strengthen Home Rule by prohibiting future judicial application of implied preemption
- Study tax and debt limits on local governments, update current rules
Addressing Cost Drivers
- Reform cooperative health plan rules to reduce costs shared by employers
- Review public employee pension benefits options
- Enact procurement improvements
- Require local employees to contribute to health insurance
- Ease provisions to allow municipal cooperative health benefit plans
Election, Voting & Elected Office Reforms
- Uniform election dates
- County BOE administer all elections with chargeback authority
- Consider elimination of State BOE and make one apolitical body to help county BOE handle elections and appointment of county BOE officials
- Streamline Financial Reporting
Aid and Incentives
- Convert SMSI grants to Local Government Efficiency Grants
- Highway Aid
- Create Executive-level Center for Local Government Efficiency
Governor Announces $13.7 Million in SMSI Grants
The day after he accepted the report from the Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness commission, Governor Paterson announced 67 grants awarded under the Shared Municipal Services Incentive (SMSI) program.
Among the grants announced Thursday, 16 counties will receive more than $3.5 million for their respective local government efficiency projects. Some of the projects include:
- Orleans County will receive $43,470 to work with ten towns to clean out waterways to facilitate a flood mitigation plan.
- Tioga County will receive $115,920 to work with ten towns and villages on a study on cooperated or consolidated highway services.
- Otsego County will receive $304,290 for the design phase of an emergency services telecommunications system.
- Chemung County will receive $173,880 for a comprehensive study on how to improve firefighting services across the county.
- Monroe County will receive $185,955 for the purchase of highway equipment that will be used by the county and 17 municipalities within the county.
Click here for a full list of projects.
Governor Paterson Issues first Veto
Last week, Governor David Paterson vetoed Senate Bill 6735, a measure that would have mandated small municipalities to employ a police chief.
County officials from across the state should be encouraged by the tone and the tenor of the Governor’s veto message, which stated “the difficult choices about the appropriate allocation of scarce financial resources at issue in this legislation are best made by the elected representatives of affected towns and villages themselves.”
With this veto, Governor Paterson demonstrates an encouraging understanding of the direct correlation between the budgetary and policy decisions made in the State’s Capitol and the plight of New York’s local governments and property taxpayers.
For a copy of the veto message, click here. (Jeff Osinski)
NYSAC Reschedules Webinar on Census Population Numbers
On Wednesday, May 7, 2008, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., NYSAC will host a Webinar on the impact that recently released US Bureau of the Census Population estimates will have on New York State counties.
The Census Bureau Population estimates are utilized to allocate relative shares of funding to states and local communities under state and federal funding formulas. During this one-hour session, counties will be able to learn about the impact these estimates will have on counties in the coming year. County officials will also be provided with information concerning the process to challenge population estimates that appear not to represent the real population growth of their county.
This program will be conducted by experts from NYSAC, Empire State Development’s New York State Data Center and the Program on Applied Demographics at Cornell University. This session is also sponsored by the New York State Association of County Planning Directors, the Community and Rural Development Institute at Cornell and the Pelletier County Government Institute.
Participation in this Webinar is a free service provided by NYSAC, but pre-registration is required. Click here to register for the Webinar, or visit our website at www.nysac.org. Registrants in the Pelletier Institute will receive 1 continuing education credit towards their certificate of achievement through their participation in this Webinar. (Jeff Osinski)
NYSAC, Pelletier Institute and Cornell Cosponsor Brain Drain Conference
On Tuesday, May 6, 2008, NYSAC will cosponsor a conference that will examine brain drain/brain gain issues from a community and economic development perspective. Conference attendees will learn from each other about research, educational programs, and government/private sector initiatives that are designed to address problems and take advantage of opportunities to produce a net brain gain in rural central and western New York.
Registration information: $35 with tour; $30 without tour; visit www.cardi.cornell.edu and click on “Rural Learning Network.”
Save the date for the NYSAC Fall Seminar
The NYSAC Fall Seminar will be held September 24-26, 2008 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County.
Upcoming Next Week
The Senate and Assembly are scheduled to be in session on Monday through Wednesday.
Tuesday, May 6th in Chautauqua County, Brain Drain/Brain Gain in Rural Central and Western New York.
Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Utica College, the Senate holds a hearing to examine how government, educators and business leaders can be better partners.
The New York State Local Government IT Directors Association (NYSLGITDA) will host their annual conference in Saratoga from Tuesday through Thursday.
