Provides for the establishment of a statewide municipal cooperation program

Summary of provisions

Amends the general municipal law to add a new article, 2-A, the Municipal Cooperation Program, (to be popularly known as MetroSTAR) with a new section 25.

1. Establishes a state commission on municipal cooperation, and eight regional municipal cooperation commissions_ The regional commissions and the counties within the jurisdiction of each is listed below:

a) Long Island - New York: Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Rich- mond and Suffolk.

b) Hudson Valley: Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, Ulster and Dutchess.

c) Capital: Columbia, Greene, Albany, Schoharie, Rensselaer, Schenecta- dy, Saratoga, Washington, Montgomery, and Fulton.

d) North Country:- Warren, Hamilton, Lewis, Jefferson, Franklin, Essex, Clinton, Saint Lawrence, and Oswego.

e) Central: Mohawk Valley: Otsego, Herkimer, Oneida, Madison, Cortland, Onondaga, and Cayuga.

f) Southern Tier: Delaware, Broome, Chenango, Tioga, Tompkins, Schuyler, Chemung, Allegany and Steuben.

g) Finger Lakes: Wayne, Seneca, Yates, Ontario, Livingston, and Monroe.

h) Western: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Wyoming, Genesee, Orleans and Niagara.

2. Establishes the membership of the state conference, the purpose and powers of state conference, and process for development of regulations to govern the commissions.

3. Provides for membership and powers of regional commissions; the proc- ess for the appointment of executive director and staff; states the mission of the regional commissions (which is to: increase communi- cations between local government to foster the sharing of municipal services where appropriate; provide technical and financial assistance to local governments seeking to.merge or share services; identify state and local laws which require changes to facilitate the productive shar-

ing of services); and states the manner in which funds will be set aside fox different types of projects.

4. Requires each regional commission to seek to provide research assist- ance or in lieu thereof, grants to localities that seek to research the efficacy of mergers or consolidations; when such research is beyond the scope of the commission.

5. Provides for implementation grants to localities that seek to imple- ment mergers or service consolidations. Provides that grants to support service consolidation will be funded at no more than 50 cents per dollar of costs, and grants to defray the cost of implementing mergers may be fully funded.

6. Provides for cooperation reward grants and the method by which grants would be awarded. Cooperation reward grants are grants provided by the state to localities that execute a merger or consolidation of services, in the form of matching-grants for savings achieved through cooperative efforts. Grants for service consolidations can be as much as 50 percent of savings, and grants for mergers can be as much as 100 percent of savings.

7. Ensures that all local governing authorities, to include school and special districts, can participate in this program.

Justification

It has been widely acknowledged that New York State has too many layers of government, which cost too much to run. Metro STAR provides localities with the assistance and incentives they need to work more effectively by sharing services, or fully merging, where appropri- ate.

Legislative history

2008: A.4543; Referred to Local Governments 2007: A.4843; Referred to Local Governments 2006: A. 2011; Held for consideration in Local Governments 2005: A.2011; Referred to Local Governments 2004: A.1303; Held for consideration in Local Governments 2003: A.1303; Referred to Local Governments 2002: A.2841; Held for consideration in Local Governments 2001: A.2841; Referred to Local Governments 2000: A.5621; Held for consideration in Local Governments 1999: A.5621; Referred to Local Governments 1998: A.10225; Referred to Local Governments

Fiscal implication

$30 million.

Effective date

First of January next succeeding the date on-which it shall become a law.