New York State Conference of Mayor's State Update

Advocacy Update May 31, 2019 Shortened In Rem Tax Foreclosure Process Bill Passes Both Houses – We are happy to report that NYCOM’s bill (A. 4403 – McDonald / S.1864 – Gaughran) that would shorten the in rem tax foreclosure redemption period for abandoned property passed the Assembly yesterday (it had already passed the Senate in February) and is now awaiting delivery to the Governor.  NYCOM will be sending a letter to the Governor’s office urging him to sign this important piece of legislation.  We encourage you to do the same.  NYCOM’s memorandum in support of this bill can be found here. NYCOM Opposes Bill to Amend Village Incorporation Process – A bill (A. 7997 – Thiele) / S. 5793-A – Skoufis) that would make the incorporation of a village much more difficult is moving through the Senate and is likely to do the same in the Assembly next week.  Specifically this bill would make substantial changes to the village incorporation process including requiring the town supervisor to make a finding as to whether a proposed incorporation is in the overall public interest of both the area to be incorporated and the town in which the village to be incorporated is located. Additionally, the proposed amendment would subject a proposed village incorporation to a vote of the residents of the entire town, if the town supervisor determines that the proposed incorporation is not in the overall public interest.  Under current law, only the residents within the boundaries of the proposed village are permitted to vote. NYCOM is strongly opposed to this bill and has issued a memorandum in opposition to its passage.  We encourage you to reach out to your state legislators if you have similar concerns. Transportation Funding Request – There is still time to let your state legislators know how important it is that they – prior to the end of this legislative session – restore the $65 million in Extreme Winter Recovery funding (a.k.a. pothole aid), as well as provide a long overdue increase in CHIPS (beyond the $438 million that was included in the Adopted Budget) and an increase in the reimbursement rate for the 38 cities who maintain state arterial highways.  Many of you have already done so by using this sample letter which can be customized by you and transmitted to the Governor and your Senator and Assembly member urging them to support these initiatives.  We strongly encourage the rest of you to send letters as well. Additional End of Session Issues to Watch – Finally, earlier this week the Governor announced his ten priorities for the rest of the legislative session.  Included on that list were: 1) renewing rent control and possibly expanding the system to other parts of the state; 2) expanding prevailing wage laws beyond purely public projects; 3) the legalization of adult use cannabis; and, 4) new minority and women-owned business (MWBE) initiatives. Given that there are only 11 session days remaining, we anticipate the next three weeks will be a very busy time in Albany.  We will continue to keep a close eye on these and other issues that may impact you and your communities.