Relates to the purchase of farm products by municipalities

Title of bill

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to the purchase of farm products by municipalities

Purpose

This bill authorizes municipalities to exceed the $20,000 limit requiring formal procurement procedures when directly purchasing foods from New York state producers.

Summary of provisions

Section one provides for a new subdivision 9-a to Section 103 of the general municipal law to authorize municipalities to exceed monetary restrictions on purchase contract requirements when procuring New York state grown food products. This section also includes provisions requiring fair bidding and equal opportunity for producers similar to those provisions currently in statute pertaining to school districts.

Section two establishes the effective date.

Justification

Current law provides for a number of exemptions from formal procurement procedures when contracting for the purchase of in-state produced foods. State agencies may, without formal procurement, expend up to $200,000 annually in support of locally grown foods, and school districts are authorized to spend up to a multiplier based on enrollment and school days for local food and milk. However, current law limits local governments to a $20,000 annual threshold for the direct purchase of such local products while some counties expend over $2 million per year on food supplies to comply with nutritional requirements in their jails.

This bill extends a multiplier threshold for in-state food purchases by counties, similar to that in statute for school districts, in order to incentivize the purchase of locally grown foods and further support local agriculture.

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.