2023 New York Laws › GMU - General Municipal › Article 19-A - Business Improvement Districts › 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.