Exempts school districts from the requirements of smart growth

Title of bill

An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the state smart growth public infrastructure criteria

Purpose

To provide relief to school districts from the reporting requirements of the Smart Growth legislation.

Summary of provisions

Section 1: Amends § 6-0107(1) of the environmental conservation law to eliminate compliance with the smart growth legislation adopted as Chapter 433 of the Laws of 2010. Ch. 433 L. 2010

Section 2: Sets forth an immediate effective date.

Justification

Recent years have confronted school districts with unprecedented fiscal challenges. While the economic outlook for the State is steadily improving, it is a legislative priority to provide as much flexibility as possible to school districts to enable them to provide the high quality education we have come to expect for our students. While there are many requirements imposed on school districts that provide educational value, others continue to constrain the creativity of a district to provide services to students and relief to taxpayers.

In 2010, the "Smart Growth" legislation was enacted to encourage better planning to reduce urban sprawl. This legislation applied to all municipalities, including school districts. One of the main tenets of the legislation was to encourage the reuse of existing infrastructure. According, to the New York State Education Department, almost 95% of school building projects involve the rehabilitation of existing, facilities for continued use as schools. Therefore, this bill eliminates an onerous administrative reporting requirement on both local school districts and the State Education Department.

Legislative history

2015: S. 2165 Passed Senate 2013-14: S. 5363 Passed Senate

Fiscal implications

Possible savings to local school districts and the New York State Education Department.

Effective date

Immediately.