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History
- Referred to local governments
- Referred to local governments
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Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:A9155
Title of bill
An act to amend the general municipal law, the town law, the village law and the local finance law in relation to exempting villages and fire districts from the local consolidation or dissolution of local governments and to repeal certain provisions of the general municipal law relating thereto
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation provides an exemption for villages and fire districts under "The New N.Y. Government Reorgan- ization and Citizen Empowerment Act."
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 of the bill exempts villages and fire districts from the consolidation or dissolution process as enacted pursuant to Chapter 74 of the Laws of 2009.
Sections 2-13 of the bill delete references to villages from the provisions of the General Municipal Law as added by Chapter 74 of the Laws of 2009.
Sections 14, 15, and 18 of the bill restore language in the Town Law that existed prior to the enactment of Chapter 74 of the Laws of 2009 pertaining to consolidation of fire districts.
Sections 16, 17, and 19 of the bill are conforming amendments.
Section 20 provides the effective date.
Justification
In 2009, Speaker Silver introduced a Department of Law Program Bill (A.8501/S.5661), entitled "The New N.Y. Government Reorgan- ization and Citizen Empowerment Act," which created requirements for consolidating or dissolving certain local government entities with the exception of school districts, city districts, or special purpose districts created by counties under county law. This legislation would provide fire districts and villages with an exemption from such consol- idation or dissolution. Without such an exemption, the impact of "The New N.Y. Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act" on these local government entities could be devastating to the communities that rely on the attention to local interests and the provision of vital services that are rendered by village government and volunteer fire- fighters.
Village government constitutes the quintessential form of governance at the local level. It provides an array of critical services and is the form of government most responsive to the needs and interests of the citizenry. The exemption from consolidation or dissolution provided by this bill eliminates the danger of establishing a mechanism that too easily could lead to the abolition of that level of government which is closest to the people.
As for fire districts, if legislative changes are made that adversely impact the State's volunteer firefighting system, the only real alterna-
tive would be a paid system that would cost taxpayers far more than the current volunteer-based system.
Furthermore, there is currently a method for consolidating fire districts provided in the Town Law. This process allows real property owners and the Town Board to determine the necessity of implementing such consolidation.
Prior legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None.
Effective date
This bill shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as Chapter 74 of the Laws of 2009, as amended, takes effect.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.