N.Y. General Municipal Law § 239-bb: County-wide shared services panels

§ 239-bb. County-wide shared services panels. 1. Definitions. The

following terms shall have the following meanings for the purposes of

this article:

a. "County" shall mean any county not wholly contained within a city.

b. "County CEO" shall mean the county executive, county manager or

other chief executive of the county, or, where none, the chair of the

county legislative body.

c. "Panel" shall mean a county-wide shared services panel established

pursuant to subdivision two of this section.

d. "Plan" shall mean a county-wide shared services property tax

savings plan.

2. County-wide shared services panels. a. There may be a county-wide

shared services panel in each county consisting of the county CEO, and

one representative from each city, town and village in the county. The

chief executive officer of each town, city and village shall be the

representative to a panel and shall be the mayor, if a city or a

village, or shall be the supervisor, if a town. The county CEO shall

serve as chair.

b. The county CEO may invite any school district, board of cooperative

educational services, fire district, fire protection district, or

special improvement district in the county to join a panel. Upon such

invitation, the governing body of such school district, board of

cooperative educational services, fire district, fire protection

district, or other special district may accept such invitation by

selecting a representative of such governing body, by majority vote, to

serve as a member of the panel.

3. Each county CEO may convene the panel and develop a plan. Such

plans shall contain new, recurring property tax savings resulting from

actions such as, but not limited to, the elimination of duplicative

services; shared services arrangements including, joint purchasing,

shared highway equipment, shared storage facilities, shared plowing

services and energy and insurance purchasing cooperatives; reducing back

office and administrative overhead; and better coordinating services.

The secretary of state may provide advice and/or recommendations on the

form and structure of such plans.

4. While developing a plan, the county CEO shall regularly consult

with, and take recommendations from, the representatives: on the panel;

of each collective bargaining unit of the county and the cities, towns,

and villages; and of each collective bargaining unit of any

participating school district, board of cooperative educational

services, fire district, fire protection district, or special

improvement district.

5. The county CEO, the county legislative body and a panel shall

accept input from the public, civic, business, labor and community

leaders on any proposed plan. The county CEO may cause to be conducted

public hearings prior to submission of a plan to a vote of a panel. All

such public hearings shall be conducted within the county, and public

notice of all such hearings shall be provided at least one week prior in

the manner prescribed in subdivision one of section one hundred four of

the public officers law. Civic, business, labor, and community leaders,

as well as members of the public, shall be permitted to provide public

testimony at any such hearings.

6. a. The county CEO shall submit each plan, accompanied by a

certification as to the accuracy of the savings contained therein, to

the county legislative body at least forty-five days prior to a vote by

the panel.

b. The county legislative body shall review and consider each plan

submitted in accordance with paragraph a of this subdivision. A majority

of the members of such body may issue an advisory report on each plan,

making recommendations as deemed necessary. The county CEO may modify a

plan based on such recommendations, which shall include an updated

certification as to the accuracy of the savings contained therein.

7. a. A panel shall duly consider any plan properly submitted to the

panel by the county CEO and may approve such plan by a majority vote of

the panel. Each member of a panel may, prior to the panel-wide vote,

cause to be removed from a plan any proposed action affecting the unit

of government represented by the respective member. Written notice of

such removal shall be provided to the county CEO prior to a panel-wide

vote on a plan.

b. Plans approved by a panel shall be publicly disseminated to

residents of the county in a concise, clear, and coherent manner using

words with common and everyday meaning.

c. The county CEO shall conduct a public presentation of any approved

plan no later than thirty days from the date of approval by a panel.

Public notice of such presentation shall be provided at least one week

prior in the manner prescribed in subdivision one of section one hundred

four of the public officers law.

8. The secretary of state may solicit, and the panels may provide at

the request of the secretary of state, advice and recommendations

concerning matters related to the operations of local governments and

shared services initiatives, including, but not limited to, making

recommendations regarding grant proposals incorporating elements of

shared services, government dissolutions, government and service

consolidations, or property taxes and such other grants where the

secretary deems the input of the panels to be in the best interest of

the public. The panel shall advance such advice or recommendations by a

vote of the majority of the members present at such meeting.