Village of Ellicottville (Winner)
County: Cattaraugus County
Population: Less than 5,000
Village Hall: (716) 699-4636

The Village of Ellicottville’s Joint Engineering/Public Works Department is a prime example of successful municipal collaboration. It consolidated the Town Highway Division and the Village Department of Public Works, Water Division, Sewer Division, and Building/Code Enforcement Division into one Department. The Town/Village Engineer is a licensed engineer and serves as the department head. This project has not only saved taxpayers money, but it has improved communication with residents, reduced response times to resident concerns, improved service delivery and is expected to have a positive impact on long-term capital planning and preventative maintenance.

Village of Bergen (Winner)
County: Genesee County
Population: Less than 5,000
Village Hall: (585) 494-1513

The Village of Bergen rehabilitated an old, deteriorating water pump building and turned it into an all-season pavilion that has now become the hub of the community. The Sage Pavilion has hosted 65 events in its first year, providing a versatile gathering space at a fraction of what it would have cost the Village to build new. Each event provides the opportunity for exposure of village businesses, parks and facilities, services, the library, the local museum, housing options, and the historic district in the Village of Bergen.

Village of Interlaken
County: Seneca County
Population: Less than 5,000
Village Hall: (607) 532-9200

Located between Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, the Village of Interlaken decided to renovate their old water tower and take advantage of their location between New York’s largest Finger Lakes. Having experienced a leaking tower, and drought-stricken wells, the Village took the initiative to replace their antiquated water system. While still being decided, the Village is replacing its 1933 system by developing either a shore well, or a water intake system in the Cayuga Lake. The Village expects a new water tank, and new water source to solve its yearly problem of having a near water-shortage. The renovation is expected to cost the Village $5.6 million, which will be funded heavily by the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) which is expected to kick about half of the costs. While the project has yet to be underway, the Village of Interlake expects that the project will bring great changes to the residents!

Village of Corinth (Winner)
County: Saratoga County
Population: Less than 5,000
Village Hall: (518) 654-2012

The Village of Corinth is located along the Hudson River within the Adirondack Park. It has a total land mass of 1.1 square miles and 2,559 residents, 57.6% of whom are low and moderate income. Land use within the Village is dominated by residential properties with some commercial areas. The topography is generally flat and the Village relies upon pump stations to convey wastewater from its approximately 10+ miles of sanitary sewer mains to the central wastewater treatment plant. The system serves 1,221 single family residences, 24 commercial establishments, and 16 users outside of the Village.

Village of South Floral Park
County: Nassau County
Population: Less than 5,000
Village Hall: (516) 352-8047

The village initiated a Going Greener program in 2016 in an effort to reduce negative effects on the environment of daily Village Hall activities while reducing costs. The village started with the introduction of a recycling program. Village Hall now diligently recycles all paper and plastic/aluminum waste. The village also recycles all toner and ink cartridges. In addition, thermostat controllers were placed on heating units and a schedule to turn off heating and cooling units was created. The temperature on the boiler and hot water heaters were adjusted to reduce hot water waste and electricity, and radiators were turned off in office areas of little to no use.

Village of Scarsdale
County: Westchester County
Population: 10,001 to 50,000
Village Hall: (914) 722-1100

The Village of Scarsdale created a food scrap recycling program to help with waste reduction and help residents be more environmentally friendly. The village made it possible for residents to compost their food scraps by setting up a drop-off site located at the Village Recycling Center. This commercial-grade food scrap recycling service meets the community needs in a cost-effective manner. An ad-hoc committee was created consisting of residents with experience in food scrap recycling and village staff to monitor program implementation and conduct outreach and education regarding the new service.

Village of Port Chester
County: Westchester County
Population: 10,001 to 50,000
Village Hall: (914) 939-5200

Port Chester is undergoing a full sewer system evaluation and repair program to bring the village's century-old infrastructure up to environmental compliance standards. The repairs and replacement work will mitigate inflow/infiltration of stormwater and sanitary sewage and will increase the system's overall efficiency. In order to pay for these infrastructure improvements, the village adopted a sewer rent program to levy taxes on system users based on the volume of water discharge into the system.

Village of Upper Brookville
County: Nassau County
Population: Less than 5,000
Village Hall: (516) 624-7715

The village’s new Garbage Disposal District (GDD) is a unique variation on single hauler village trash collection. It was designed to lower the cost of collection, reduce taxes and improve property values over time, and improve the environment and quality of life in the village. It also significantly reduces the cost of future road repaving. The GDD was patterned after a similar program in a nearby village adopted a few years earlier.

Village of Laurel Hollow (Winner)
County: Nassau County
Population: Less than 10,000
Village Hall: (516) 692-8826

In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the Village had difficulties obtaining regular gasoline for Village vehicles. An agreement was already in place with the Town of Oyster Bay providing the Village with access to Town fueling pumps; however the pumps were not located in close proximity to the Village. There are no commercial gasoline pumping facilities located within the Village or within close proximity. The Village owned an underground gasoline storage tank and fuel pump at our Police Booth, which was unused after the Village entered into an agreement with the Village of Oyster Bay Cove to provide police protection services in June 2012. Although the tank was unused, there remained a recurring expense associated with insuring and testing it.

Village of Hamilton (Winner)
County: Madison County
Population: Less than 5,000
Village Hall: (315) 824-1111

In 2010, the Village of Hamilton Board of Trustees and the Municipal Utilities Commission were approached by the three largest employers within the Village limits, requesting that a feasibility study be done to determine whether there was an economic and environmental benefit by bringing natural gas to the Village and surrounding communities. The study revealed that offering an alternative heating option would help reduce costs and the carbon footprint of the community. In 2012, a public referendum was approved, allowing the Village Board of Trustees to create a Municipally Owned and Operated Natural Gas Utility.