What's happening
This bill raises the minimum population required to incorporate a village in New York from 500 to 1,000 residents.
Why it matters
Makes it harder for small communities to form new villages. , possibly leading to fewer local governments and less administrative fragmentation in rural or sparsely populated areas.
Could impact local self-governance. by raising the threshold for incorporation, meaning some communities may lose the option to control local zoning, services, or taxes through a village government.
Applies retroactively to pending petitions. , potentially stopping village incorporation efforts that have already started but haven't been finalized, which could frustrate current local initiatives or planning.
May affect property values and development. in areas that now fall below the new threshold, as the ability to incorporate and influence local land use or services is removed.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Raise Village Population Requirement
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 39
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to local government
- Recommitted to rules
- Ordered to third reading cal.1750
- Referred to rules
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6595
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
June 17, 2019
Introduced by Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the village law, in relation to the population of a village
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1 of section 2-200 of the village law is amended to read as follows:
A territory containing a population of at least [five hundred] one thousand persons who are regular inhabitants thereof, as hereinafter defined, may be incorporated as a village under this chapter provided such territory does not include a part of a city or village and further provided the limits of such territory:
§ 2. Subparagraph 3 of paragraph b of subdivision 1 of section 2-202 of the village law is amended to read as follows:
(3) An allegation that such territory contains a population of at least [five hundred] one thousand regular inhabitants.
§ 3. Paragraph f of subdivision 1 of section 2-206 of the village law is amended to read as follows:
f. That such territory does not contain a population of at least [five hundred] one thousand regular inhabitants;
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to any petitions that have not reached final disposition under the provision of article 2 of the village law prior to the effective date of this act.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13427-02-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the village law, in relation to the population of a village
Purpose
To raise the threshold for forming a new village from 500 residents to 1,000 residents.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Amends section 2-200 of the Village Law to state that any territory containing a population of at least one thousand persons may be incorporated as a village under the provisions of the Village Law.
Section 2: Amends section 2-202 of the Village Law to require a petition for incorporation to include an allegation that the territory to be incorporated must contain a population of at least one thousand regular inhabitants.
Section 3: Amends section 2-206 of the Village Law to allow an objection to be raised to a village incorporation petition at the town supervi- sor's hearing on the petition that the proposed territory does not contain a population of at least one thousand regular inhabitants.
Section 4: Effective date
Justification
The incorporation of new village is a major development for any town, and one that can have significant fiscal impacts on taxpayers throughout the town (or towns) in which a new village is to be located. Current law allows the incorporation of new villages with as few as 500 inhabit- ants, a population threshold that has been unchanged for decades even as the population of the state has grown and there has been an increased awareness of the costs to taxpayers that having a multiplicity of small villages may cause. Very small villages of fewer than 1,000 residents may have difficulty providing the services that residents rely on, and it can be difficult for villages of this size to find qualified resi- dents to serve on the village board and on local land use boards. In order to address these issues, this bill raises the minimum number of residents to form a new village in New York from 500 regular inhabitants to 1,000 regular inhabitants.
Legislative history
None
Fiscal implications
None to the state.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to any petitions that have not reached final disposition under the provision of article 2 of the village law prior to the effective date of this act.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.