Repeals certain sections of the public authorities law and transfers remaining rights to an identifiable location

1 Co-sponsor

• Andrea Stewart-Cousins

BILL NUMBER:S5198D

Title of bill

An act to repeal certain provisions of the public authorities law relating to certain authorities and to transfer any books, records and remaining rights of any dissolved authority to an identifiable location

Purpose

This bill would repeal the statutory authorization for certain public authorities that have ceased operations, have dissolved by operation of law or were never established, and would vest their records, property, rights, titles and interest, and all obligations and liabilities in the municipality in whose interest such authorities were created.

Summary of specific provisions

This bill would repeal the statutory authorization for the following public authorities:

Summary of specific provisions

This bill would repeal the statutory authorization for the following public authorities:

The Amsterdam Parking Authority, the Monroe Regional Parking Authority, the Johnson City Parking Authority, the Hudson Parking Authority, the Elmira Parking Authority, the Peekskill Parking Authority, the Fulton Parking Authority, the City of Troy Parking Authority, the Port Jervis Parking Authority, the Utica Parking Authority, the Owego Parking Authority, the City of New Rochelle Parking Authority, the City of Poughkeepsie Parking Authority, the Village of Spring Valley Parking Authority, the City of Long Beach Parking Authority, the City of North Tonawanda Parking Authority, the Salamanca Hospital District Authority, the Salamanca Indian Lease Authority, the Long Island Job Development Authority, the Historic Rome Development Authority, the Center Authority of Glens Falls, the Multitown Solid Waste Management Authority, the Broome County Resource Recovery Agency, the Brookhaven Resource Recovery Agency, the County of Essex Solid Waste Management Authority, the Greater Troy Area Solid Waste Management Authority, the City of Peekskill Civic Center Authority, and the County of Chautauqua Sports, Recreation and Cultural Authority.

Justification

This bill would repeal the statutory authorization for certain authorities which are either defunct or which were never ultimately established by local law. The authorities listed in this bill have been determined inactive by the New York State Authorities Budget Office, Department of Economic Development, Office of the State Comptroller, or Commission on Public Authority Reform, based on consultation with the affected local governments.

Although these authorities no longer function, their authorization continues in State Law. This bill would repeal these various sections of the Public Authorities Law to formally dissolve these authorities that are no longer actively engaged in the public purpose for which they were Established. According to the Authorities Budget Office, none of these authorities has any outstanding debt or other obligations.

This bill would thereby seek to advance the State's effort to maintain an accurate inventory of its active authorities and repeal the laws which would authorize those which are no longer in operation. In so updating state law, this bill would more accurately reflect in law that these authorities have, as a practical matter, ceased to exist. In eliminating defunct authorities, this bill would ensure that if a local government wishes once again to use an authority for urban renewal, industrial development, parking, or other similar purpose, it must obtain new legislation at the state level authorizing such use. This bill would thus promote the State's interest in curbing the proliferation of unnecessary authorities.

Fiscal implications

None noted.

Effective date

This bill would take effect 60 days after it becomes a law.