N.Y. General Municipal Law § 980-n: Cooperative operation and management of business improvement districts

§ 980-n. Cooperative operation and management of business improvement

districts. (a) Whenever two or more municipalities have each created a

business improvement district pursuant to this article, the

municipalities may enter into, amend, and terminate agreements with each

other for the operation and management of their respective business

improvement districts, in accordance with this article and each district

plan, on a cooperative basis, provided that the business improvement

districts are contiguous, and provided further that the goals and

objectives of the districts are compatible.

(b) Any such agreement shall be approved by each participating

municipality by a majority vote of its governing board, and may contain

provisions relating to the rights and responsibilities of the respective

municipalities, a method for equitably allocating costs and other

matters, consistent with this article, as may be reasonably necessary

and proper to effectuate the cooperative operation and management of the

districts. Nothing herein shall be construed as authorizing the

participating municipalities to issue joint indebtedness and any

indebtedness which has been heretofore issued by a municipality in

connection with a business improvement district shall remain the sole

responsibility of the issuing municipality.

(c) Municipalities which have agreed to operate and manage business

improvement districts on a cooperative basis shall either establish a

district management association for each business improvement district

as provided in section nine hundred eighty-m of this article, or if

agreed to by all of the participating municipalities, may establish a

single cooperative district management association. Such cooperative

district management association shall have the same powers and duties as

provided in section nine hundred eighty-m of this article.

(d) Where a cooperative district management association is

established, the board of directors of such district management

association shall be composed of representatives of owners and tenants

within each district, provided, however, that not less than a majority

of its members shall represent owners and provided further that tenants

of commercial space and dwelling units within the districts shall also

be represented on the board. The number of such representatives of

owners and tenants from each district shall be in an equitable

proportion as determined by agreement of the participating

municipalities. The board shall include, in addition, three members from

each participating municipality as follows: a member appointed by the

chief executive officer of each participating municipality; a member

appointed by the chief financial officer of each participating

municipality; and a member appointed by the legislative body of each

participating municipality.

(e) Where the municipalities which have agreed to operate and manage

their business improvement districts on a cooperative basis decide to

terminate their agreement, such cooperative district management

association shall be dissolved, and shall be replaced by separate

district management associations in accordance with section nine hundred

eighty-m of this article.