2023 New York Laws › GMU - General Municipal › Article 12-I - County-Wide Shared Services Panels › 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.