State Legislature Approves Numerous COVID-Related Bills

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (6-1-20)

Call to Action: Send Letter to Congress

• State Legislature Approves Numerous COVID-Related Bills

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (5-29-20)

VIEW LETTER (5-22-20)

• Gatherings for Religious Services and Memorial Day
• Sales Tax Filing Extention
• Racetracks

VIEW GUIDANCE (5-22-20) 

State Delaying Issuance of Budget Cuts and Holding Back Release of Local Aid

• Bipartisan Bill Introduced in Congress to Provide Direct Federal Funding to Local Governments
• NYCOM's Video Urges All to #WearAMask

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (5-20-20)

The HEROES Act Would Provide $375 Billion to Local Governments

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (5-13-20)

View Press Release (added 5-12-20)

A Guide to Reopening New York and Building Back Better

Download Guide

NYCOM would like to congratulate the winners of our fourth annual essay contest addressing the topic, “If I Were Mayor, I Would . . .” from nearly 1,000 entries received.

FIRST PLACE: Winslow Ryan - Village of Southampton
SECOND PLACE: Bella Gambino - Village of New Paltz
THIRD PLACE: Viviane Kim - Village of Port Jefferson

View Summary of Adopted State Budget (updated 5-7-20)

View Property Tax Payment Memo (updated 5-14-20)

The Office of Disaster Recovery at the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services is holding virtual Applicant Briefings to discuss federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that may be available under the major disaster declaration for COVID-19 (DR- 4480). The briefing will provide state, local and tribal governments and private non-profits guidance on the eligibility standards for applicants under a FEMA disaster grant and what types of activities are reimbursable under this current declaration. Click HERE to view the dates and times when briefings will be held. We encourage anyone that is seeking reimbursement from FEMA for COVID-19 response activities to register.

View Village Election Memo on Executive Order 202.26.

View Fiscal Pain Tracker (updated 5-28-20)

• Proposed Aid Amounts for NY Municipalities Under the Proposed HEROES Act
• NLC Revenue Loss Impacts on Local Governments
• State and Local Coronavirus Relief Funds
• HEROES Bill - H.R. 6800
• HEROES Act Summary

• Securing Federal Funding in a Time of Crisis
• Helping Local Businesses During the COVID Pandemic: Advice from the Front Lines
• Workforce Management in the Shadow of a Pandemic
• Enforcing the Governor's COVID Executive Orders & the Procedure for Issuing Local COVID-Related Emergency Orders
• 2020 Village Elections Update and Conducting the Organizational Meeting
• Conducting Meetings & Public Hearings During the COVID-19 Pandemic

CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDED WEBINARS AND HANDOUTS

VIEW SIGN-ON LETTER (updated 5-15-20)

Sneak Peak of NYCOM's Municipal Matters quarterly magazine (Vol. 3, No. 3):

• The NYS SHIELD Act: What Local Governments Need to Know

• Building [Information] Highways: Examining Municipal Broadband as an Alternative to Industry-Determined Internet Access

• The Community Officials Data Exchange (C.O.D.E.): A Data-Sharing Tool for NYS Municipal Governments

NYCOM Posts Additional COVID Guidance and Fights for Federal Funding to Local Governments

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (5-7-20) (updated 5-15-20)

Local Government Aid Left Out of Latest Stimulus Package

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (4-23-20) (updated 5-15-20)

View Executive Order related to Real Property Tax Administration.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW DETAILS STATEWIDE BY COUNTY.

View alert about this and other cyber threats. 

SUMMARY OF THE COMPLETED 2020-21 STATE BUDGET

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (4-3-20) 

Effective at the close of business on Friday, March 20th, and until further notice, the entire NYCOM staff will be working remotely.

We will continue to respond to our members inquiries in the same responsive way we always have, while also doing all we can to ensure the health and safety of our employees. We encourage you to communicate with us via email rather than by telephone. You should use This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the individual staff member's email included on NYCOM's staff directory. If you feel you need to call to get the most effective response, please phone us at (518) 463-1185 and a member of our staff will get back to you.

VIEW GUIDANCE

Village Budget Season is Here! View and download the following helpful tools:

   • Budgeting Calendar Of Dates Checklist
   • Tax Cap Override Sample Local Law
   • Allowable Levy Growth Factors

The NYCOM Annual Meeting scheduled for May 3-5 is postponed. The Sagamore Hotel is closed, will reopen on May 7th, and has already sent room cancellation notices to NYCOM members who had registered for a room for the Annual Meeting. Full refunds to hotel registrants are being processed by the Sagamore and should be credited to your form of payment by March 24th. NYCOM is processing full refunds of meeting registration fees.

NYCOM staff is now in discussions with the Sagamore Hotel about potential dates for rescheduling our conference and we will keep our members apprised of any updates.

VIEW COMP ALLIANCE NEWS/RESOURCES

New York State on PAUSE, is directed to all non-essential businesses to close their in-person operations and banned all non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason.

VIEW GOVERNOR'S GUIDANCE ON LOCAL ENFORCEMENT OF PAUSE

PRELIMINARY SUMMARY OF THE ADOPTED STATE BUDGET

• AIM Funding
• Transporting Funding
• Water and Sewer Infrastructure Funding
• Discovery Reform Implementation Aid
• Mid-Year Budget Reduction

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (4-1-20) 

Click here to see additional ways you, your residents and your businesses can get involved in NY’s fight against COVID-19.

VILLAGE ELECTIONS POSTPONED

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (3/30/20) 

As the state budget is being finalized in Albany and a new stimulus package is being debated in Washington, local governments and their property taxpayers must become a priority.

View letter of legislative initiatives (3-19-20).

CITY AND VILLAGE BEST PRACTICES, LOCAL AID IN FEDERAL STIMULUS BILL, STATE BUDGET UPDATE

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (3/26/20) 

STATE BUDGET, NEW PAID LEAVE LAW, AND COVID-19 RESOURCES

• 2020-21 State Budget
• Paid Leave and Other Benefits
• COVID-19 Resources

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (3/19/20) 

NYCOM Fighting for State Budget Priorities

Although the Senate and Assembly were out of town last week, NYCOM staff continued working hard to ensure that you and every member of the State Legislature are aware of our state budget priorities. 

• The Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act
• Local Government Lobby Day - March 23

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (2/27/20) 

State and Assembly to Approve One-House Budgets

NYCOM staff continue to focus their attention on the State Budget which is due to be adopted in twenty-two days. 

• Local Government Lobby Day - March 23
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (3/10/20) 

It is imperative that you contact your legislators now and let them know your position on those State Budget issues of greatest importance to you. We encourage you to review NYCOM’s Briefing on the 2020-21 Executive Budget.

The New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM) is committed to highlighting municipal successes and sharing innovative projects and programs you have undertaken in your communities.

NYCOM’s Local Government Achievement Awards are intended to showcase significant and innovative projects and programs undertaken by NYCOM member cities and villages that have improved quality-of-life, resulted in cost savings, established cooperative partnerships, created new or unique approaches to issues, and/or streamlined the delivery of services.

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

While there was a need to reform New York’s criminal justice statutes during the 2019 state legislative session, it is widely recognized that several of the changes in the laws pertaining to discovery are broad and vague and are having unintended consequences at the municipal level.

VIEW RECOMMENDED AMENDMENTS

April 1, 2020 is Census Day for the next decennial census; the nation's once-per-decade, constitutionally-mandated count of every American, regardless of their citizenship status. The decennial census is one of the nation's most important programs.  New Yorkers' fair share of federal funds for programs essential to health care, education, housing, economic development and transportation, as well as our political representation in Washington, all depends on an accurate and fully-counted census response.

NYS CENSUS RESOURCES
US CENSUS BUREAU RESEARCH, OPERATIONAL PLANS AND OVERSIGHT

NYCOM strongly believes each community must have a voice in whether the adult-use cannabis industry operates within its boundaries, as the impacts of the cannabis industry will be most directly felt at the local level.

UPDATED FEBRUARY 2020

Budget Update: Discovery Reform, AIM & Infrastructure Funding, Cannabis, Small Cells

It is imperative that you contact your legislators now and let them know your position on those State Budget issues of greatest importance to you. We encourage you to review NYCOM’s Briefing on the 2020-21 Executive Budget. In addition, there are four policy issues that we ask you to bring to the attention of your legislators and make sure they are aware of NYCOM’s position.

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (2/12/20) 

Sample Resolution Regarding Criminal Justice Reforms

We have put together a sample resolution outlining what we believe are a series of reasonable amendments that are consistent with
the overall intent of the reforms, but which will allow for more effective and affordable implementation.

ADVOCACY UPDATE (Inc. Sample Resolution) (1/30/20) 

VIEW AND DOWNLOAD PROGRAM

LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES:
• Increase Unrestricted State Aid
• Enhance Funding for Water and Sewer Infrastructure
• Expand Highway Funding
• Amend the Newly Enacted Criminal Justice Reforms
• Limit the Application and Cost of the Prevailing Wage Mandate

Watch news conference from NYCOM's Legislative Priorities Meeting

Sneak Peak of NYCOM's Municipal Matters quarterly magazine (Vol. 3, No. 2):

• Keep Rolling! Attracting Film Productions to Your Community
• How to SPOT Five Tricky SPAM Emails
• Door-to-Door Peddlers and Solicitors: Is Your Local Regulation Constitutional?

This POLICY PAPER provides a summary of the 2019 criminal justice reforms, identifies the critical changes the legislation will have on the criminal justice system, and discusses the potential impacts the changes will have on cities and villages.

2020-21 Executive Budget Released

The most recent update highlights some of the proposals of the greatest importance to our members.

ADVOCACY UPDATE (1/22/20) 

Chapter 6 of the laws of 2019 enacted early voting in New York State. The first period of early voting will be ahead of the November 5, 2019 General Election.

VIEW FAQS

The federal Voting Rights Act (VRA) requires that language assistance be provided to voters in political subdivisions in which 5% of the voting population speak the same language and do not also speak English proficiently well to effectively participate in the election process.
Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties are covered by this requirement, and consequently, all villages in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties must provide Spanish language assistance as well.

VIEW NOTICE REQUIREMENTS

2020 Legislation Session Began Last Week

The Governor delivered his State of the State address on Wednesday. As is typically the case, the speech was heavy on headlines and light on detail but there were a few topics of interest including escooters, the legalization of recreational cannabis, the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, funding for upstate airports, and small cell deployment.

VIEW ADVOCACY UPDATE (1/14/20) 

The village election material contained in this publication was compiled by the New York State Conference of Mayors. The dates and material are based upon current statutory provisions, including amendments through the 2019 session of the State Legislature.

CALENDAR OF DATES

Sneak Peak of NYCOM's Municipal Matters quarterly magazine (Vol. 3, No. 1):

• Mobile App Impact on Citizen Satisfaction and Municipal Management
• Investing in Today's Youth Will Prepare Municipalities for Tomorrow's Leaders
• Lost and Abandoned and Donated Properties: Dealing With Property No One Seems to Want

City and village officials across New York are calling for increased State investment in their communities and changes to recent criminal justice reforms.

November 18, 2019

This policy paper outlines the various enactments that amended the Election Law during the 2019 legislative session and discuss how these changes may affect the operations of local governments.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

The Cyber Analysis Unit of the New York State Intelligence Center (NYSIC) has recently issued a report on a cyber campaign that has affected several local governments in New York. This campaign involves customized and convincing-looking phishing emails that were used to capture user login names and passwords.

ADVISORY DETAILS

The most recent update highlights the final status of general key issues impacting local governments.

ADVOCACY UPDATE 

NYCOM's Fall Training School went off without a hitch in Saratoga Springs this September:

• Over 60+ Sessions
• 100+ First-Time Attendees
• Finance Officers and Clerks Association Annual Meetings
• Endless Networking Opportunites for ALL

DOWNLOAD PRESENTATIONS/HANDOUTS
VIEW PHOTO GALLERY

The most recent update highlights the final status of general key issues impacting local governments.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 

The Elected Officials Academy (EOA) is NYCOM’s two-tiered program that facilitates and recognizes the educational and leadership accomplishments of elected city and village officials. Any NYCOM class that you take, conference that you attend, or committee that you serve on will earn you Elected Officials Academy credits.

It doesn't cost you anything to activate your membership, you simply have to SIGN-UP HERE.

NYCOM's Municipal Matters quarterly magazine.

LATEST ISSUES

NYCOM's Legislative Program outlines our legislative priorities for the year. While NYCOM advocates for and against hundreds of bills each legislative session, our Legislative Program represents our membership's position on key issues of interest to city and village officials.

LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

At its 110th Annual Meeting, the membership of the New York State Conference of Mayors elected Mayor Robert T. Kennedy of the Village of Freeport, to serve as NYCOM President for the next year.

MAY 7, 2019

Village of Ellicottville MAY 2, 2019
Village of Rockville Centre MAY 2, 2019
Village of Bergen MAY 2, 2019
City of Syracuse MAY 2, 2019
City of Corning MAY 2, 2019
City of Poughkeepsie MAY 2, 2019

NYCOM is relieved that all of our member villages and cities who have historically been part of the AIM program will continue to receive this funding under the state budget adopted earlier today.

APRIL 2, 2019

Municipal Associations Strongly Oppose Expansion of Prevailing Wage: Historic Preservation, Affordable Housing, Brownfield Redevelopment, and Economic Revitalization at Risk.

MARCH 27, 2019

Testimony on a critical aspect of a workable transit system in Upstate New York: safe and reliable local transportation infrastructure. 

MARCH 22, 2019

City mayors from across the state are calling on both houses of the New York State Legislature to include $12.7 million in additional funding for an inflationary increase in "arterial maintenance reimbursement."

MARCH 6, 2019