Requires local governments applying for a snowmobile trail development and maintenance grant to file an application in September, rather than an estimate of the expenditures; changes the allocation formula for the snowmobile trail maintenance and development fund; makes related provisions.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3250
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 24, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. COONEY, S. RYAN -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in
relation to applications and state aid for snowmobile trail develop-
ment and maintenance
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivisions 3 and 5 of section 27.17 of the parks, recre-
2 ation and historic preservation law, subdivision 3 as amended by section
3 2 of part G of chapter 82 of the laws of 2002 and subdivision 5 as
4 amended by chapter 88 of the laws of 1988, are amended to read as
5 follows:
6 3. Every county or, where applicable, any city, town or village within
7 such county, shall be eligible for a grant for the development and main-
8 tenance of a system of snowmobile trails and a program with relation
9 thereto within its boundaries. Such grants shall be made by the commis-
10 sioner and may constitute up to one hundred percent of the cost of such
11 program including expenditures incurred for signs and markers of snowmo-
12 bile trails. Any county or, where applicable, any city, town or village
13 within such county, applying for such grant shall submit to the commis-
14 sioner by September first of each year an [estimate of such expenditures
15 for the current fiscal year,] application in such form and containing
16 such information as the commissioner may require. No city, town or
17 village may apply for such grant where the county within which it is
18 contained has submitted an application for the same fiscal year. For the
19 purpose of this section, "fiscal year" shall mean the period from April
20 first through March thirty-first. The commissioner shall review all such
21 applications and shall determine the amount of state aid to be allocated
22 to each county or, where applicable, any city, town or village within
23 such county in accordance with the provisions of subdivision five of
24 this section. Of the amount the commissioner determines each county or,
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03541-01-5
S. 3250 2
1 where applicable, any city, town or village within such county is eligi-
2 ble to receive, seventy percent shall be made available for distribution
3 by November first and thirty percent for distribution upon demonstration
4 of completion, submitted by June first[, of the program] following the
5 project year, or such date as contained in the application.
6 5. The amount of state aid to be allocated to each county or, where
7 applicable, any city, town or village within such county, shall be drawn
8 upon the monies remaining in the snowmobile trail development and main-
9 tenance fund after withdrawal pursuant to subdivisions two and four of
10 this section and shall be determined by the commissioner as hereinafter
11 provided. [The commissioner shall determine the percentage proportion
12 which the authorized expenditures of each individual county or, where
13 applicable, any city, town or village within such county shall bear to
14 the total authorized expenditures of all the counties, cities, towns or
15 villages for snowmobile trail development and maintenance pursuant to
16 this section during the fiscal year. Such percentage proportion shall
17 then be applied against the amount received in additional fees imposed
18 by section 21.07 of this chapter for registration of snowmobiles during
19 such fiscal year, to the extent only and not exceeding the balance of
20 such fund remaining after the payment of expenses as set forth in this
21 section. The amount thus determined shall constitute the maximum amount
22 of state aid to which each county or, where applicable, any city, town
23 or village within such county, shall be entitled. The commissioner shall
24 certify to the comptroller the amount thus determined for each county
25 or, where applicable, any city, town or village within such county, as
26 the amount of state aid to be apportioned to such county or, where
27 applicable, any city, town or village within such county.] The commis-
28 sioner shall estimate an amount that is available for state aid, and
29 shall define and establish a base rate per mile of trail, which shall
30 constitute the base grant to each local sponsor. For the purposes of
31 this section, local sponsor shall mean a county engaging and assisting
32 in the development and maintenance of a system of snowmobile trails and
33 a program with relation thereto within its boundaries to encourage safe-
34 ty, tourism and utilization, or in the event a county does not undertake
35 such a program or system of trails, any city, town or village within
36 such county which undertakes the same. Such state aid shall be provided
37 as described in subdivision one of this section. The commissioner shall
38 pay over to the municipal sponsor the thirty percent of the outstanding
39 base grant upon completion of the project. The commissioner, in consul-
40 tation with the division of budget, may pay expenses in excess of the
41 base grant when the municipal sponsor can demonstrate that approved
42 expenses exceeded amounts provided for in the combined payments, and
43 additional funds are available from the snowmobile trail development and
44 maintenance fund. The commissioner shall calculate all expenses submit-
45 ted in excess of the base grant and may distribute additional aid on a
46 prorated basis to support such expenses.
47 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
48 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
49 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
50 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
51 on or before such effective date.
