SUBJECT:

PURPOSE:

The Commission was established in April 2007 by Executive Order to examine and report on ways to streamline local government, reduce costs, improve effectiveness, maximize participation in local elections, and facilitate shared services, consolidation and regional governance.

The Commission's final report includes a number of recommendations. These recommendations include: reducing special district spending by eliminating compensation for special district commissioners; facilitating the formation of municipal government cooperative health benefit plans for their employees; encouraging highway shared services agreements among municipalities, and between municipalities and state agencies; allowing multiple counties to share services of a director of weights and measures and to employ a single public health director reporting to a single board of health; transferring management responsibilities for special sanitation districts to town boards; and creating a simplified process by which citizens can submit petitions for municipal consolidation and dissolution.

This hearing will examine the Commission's recommendations and hear testimony from municipalities, private citizens and Commission members on the Commission's findings and proposals.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committees at the above hearings should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to ten minutes in duration. Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committees would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness Report are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail it to:

Melanie O'Malley
Committee Assistant
Assembly Committee on Local Governments
Room 520 - Capitol
Albany, New York 12248
E-mail: omallem@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: (518) 455-4363 Fax: (518) 455-5182

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