NYSAC News NEW
YORK
STATE
ASSOCIATION
OF
COUNTIES
FA L L 2 0 2 1
The Climate Issue
Committed to your Community.
AT PERMA, WE DON’T THINK OF OURSELVES AS JUST A WORKERS’ COMPENSATION PROVIDER. We’re tightly woven into the very fabric of your community. Just as you look out for your family, friends and neighbors, we’ll always be there for you. Doing more than what’s expected to help you and your loved ones so you can keep your community safe and strong. ~ That’s why we created New York State’s first and only crossing guard training program. ~ Why we subsidized a family’s lengthy hotel stay when one of our injured members was hospitalized out of town. ~ Why we brought food and clothing relief to a county member after catastrophic flooding during a hurricane. We go well beyond workers’ compensation to offer you everything from comprehensive risk management training, a personalized claims team, and patient advocates, to fraud detection, wellness programs and transitional duty services. To find out more contact: Leah Demo, Sales Executive 518-220-0342 • ldemo@perma.org Tony Cassaro, Sales Executive 518-220-0324 • acassaro@perma.org P O B O X 1 2 2 5 0 , A L B A N Y, N Y 1 2 2 1 2 • 8 8 8 - 7 3 7 - 6 2 6 9 • W W W . P E R M A . O R G
Pay Bills • Buy Supplies • Reduce Paperwork • Earn Rebates Since 2013 the program has helped over a dozen counties streamline purchases, pay bills and earn over $800,000 in cash rebates. The Payment Solutions Program, which is a special type of credit card, can help ease the the purchase of supplies, furniture, construction materials, utilities and much more, all while saving staff time and money.
NO COST Rebates on 100% of dollars spent* Reduced check writing costs Expedited payment to vendors (24 - 48 hours) Reduced paperwork for requisitions, purchase orders and invoices Quick startup - program implemented 6 to 8 weeks from the receipt of application
Since
Beth Smith, Senior Managing Consultant PFM Financial Services LLC • 516.246.1210 • smithb@pfm.com
* Minimum spend for rebates to be earned is 100,000; once threshold is reached the rebate earnings start back to $1. PFM is the marketing name for a group of affiliated companies providing a range of services. All services are provided through separate agreements with each company. This material is for general information purposes only and is not intended to provide specific advice or a specific recommendation. Payment Solutions services are provided through PFM Financial Services LLC. For more information regarding PFM’s services or entities, please visit www.pfm.com
®
on
Bond serves 150 municipal entities in New York State in areas such as: • COVID-19 guidance • municipal law • public finance • litigation • labor and employment • zoning and planning • environmental and energy • tax assessment, condemnation and property valuation
ALBANY BUFFALO GARDEN CITY NEW YORK CITY ROCHESTER SARATOGA SPRINGS SYRACUSE UTICA WESTCHESTER
One Lincoln Center, Syracuse, NY 13202 • 315.218.8000 • BSK.COM
President's Page NYSAC OFFICERS Hon. Martha C. Sauerbrey Tioga County President Hon. Marcus Molinaro Dutchess County President-Elect Michael E. Zurlo Clinton County First Vice President Hon. Daniel P. McCoy Albany County Second Vice President Hon. John F. Marren Ontario County Immediate Past President
BOARD MEMBERS Hon. Luis A. Alvarez, Sullivan County Hon. Steven Bellone, Suffolk County Hon. Benjamin Boykin II Westchester County Mr. Philip R. Church, Oswego County Hon. Bill de Blasio, New York City Mr. Richard R. House, Wayne County Hon. Beth A. Hunt, Hamilton County Hon. Margaret M. Kennedy, Otsego County Hon. Mark C. Poloncarz, Erie County Dr. Kevin Watkins, Cattaraugus County
PARLIAMENTARIANS Hon. Herman Geist, Esq., Westchester County Hon. A. Douglas Berwanger, Wyoming County
A
fter more than a year and a half of this COVID-19 pandemic, the work of county government is more important than ever. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues and friends across the state to lead NYSAC through the challenges and opportunities we will face in the coming year. COVID-19 has presented us with the ultimate test as local leaders. We had to figure out how to free up hospital beds, set up testing and vaccination sites, distribute food to those who need it, provide virtual social services, and support struggling local businesses. People looked to us to solve their problems and to provide them with reassurance, comfort, and hope. Your leadership, advocacy, and action have helped to guide New Yorkers through the worst of the pandemic, and it’s not over yet. Over the next year, I look forward to working with all of you to increase vaccination rates across the state so we can keep schools and businesses open as we return to our new normal. We must also look ahead to repairing the damage done by the economic crisis and preparing the next generation of county leaders to carry on this work. I want to offer a big thank you to Immediate Past President Jack Marren for his leadership over the past two years. During this extraordinary period in our nation’s history, we were fortunate to have Jack at the helm of NYSAC. He gave his time and energy to help guide his county and all of our counties through this unprecedented public health and economic crisis. I also want to thank all of my fellow county leaders and the directors of public health, emergency management, and mental health; and the many others who have stepped up to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. No one has shouldered more in this pandemic than our steadfast colleagues on the front lines.
Thank you all for your immense sacrifice and for helping us to emerge from this crisis stronger and more resilient than before. As the Chair of NYSAC’s Women’s Leadership Council, I have worked with many of you to inspire our next generation of women leaders and provide resources and support for those already in office. I am pleased to report that we have already had a productive meeting with Governor Kathy Hochul to discuss how counties can work with the state to continue this important work, defeat COVID, and rebuild government for all New Yorkers. Governor Hochul has been a familiar face at NYSAC conferences and at local events in our communities. She has also had a long tenure in local government and been in the trenches with us since the beginning of the pandemic. She has been to each of our counties every year since becoming Lt. Governor. In her own words, Governor Hochul is “hard-wired to view everything that Albany does through the lens of a town, city, [and] county official.” She has committed to giving us direction, backing us up, and ensuring that the powers granted to counties stay with counties. I am optimistic that Governor Hochul’s deep ties to local government will make her a strong and reliable partner, and I look forward to working with her administration in the weeks and months ahead. I am honored to be your NYSAC President and I look forward to working with you in the coming year to build a healthier, more prosperous, more resilient New York State.
Marte Sauerbrey NYSAC President
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
5
Director's Note NYSAC STAFF (partial listing) Stephen J. Acquario, Esq. Executive Director Karen Catalfamo Office/Financial Manager Patrick Cummings, Esq. Counsel Jackie Dederick Records Manager Patricia Gettings Assistant to the Director Ryan Gregoire Legislative Director Alexandra LaMonte Legislative/Policy Coordinator Mark LaVigne Deputy Director Dave Lucas Director of Finance & Intergovernmental Affairs Juanita Munguia Marketing Specialist Tom Oldfather Communications Manager Kate Pierce Multimedia Specialist Jeanette Stanziano Director of Education & Training Kaylyn Vazquez Legislative/Communications Intern
W
Climate change and green energy were major topics at the Association’s recent Fall Seminar Conference
This issue is focused on one of the most pressing challenges facing government leaders today: our changing climate and our responsibilities for leaving our communities stronger and resilient for future generations of New Yorkers.
Additionally, NYSAC’s Climate Resiliency Committee met to discuss climate issues facing counties and elect Ulster County Executive Patrick Ryan as the new chair of the NYSAC Climate Resiliency Committee.
In 2018, NYSAC created the Climate Resiliency Committee to help counties across the state work cooperatively on climate issues in order to identify local needs and the influence that state policies, programs, or enabling legislation are having on counties and local governments.
He takes over for Tompkins County Legislator Martha Robertson, who is retiring from county government after 20 years of service. Thank you, Martha, for your service. And we are pleased to announce that we have changed the name of this committee to the Climate Action Committee to reflect our great work to take action protecting our environment. I'd also like to acknowledge Mark C. Poloncarz and thank him for establishing this committee and serving as its first chair.
elcome to our latest edition of the NYSAC News magazine.
The Committee’s membership has grown from 13 members to 27 members who come from all regions of the state and work in diverse areas of county and state government, including emergency services, public health, environmental health, solid waste, and local elected leaders. Across the state, county governments have been enacting local laws, adopting energy-saving initiatives, taking steps toward climate resiliency, and developing programs for supporting more resilient communities. Over the last year, counties have made real and tangible progress in moving toward clean energy sources and reducing their carbon footprint.
NYSAC’s mission is to represent, educate, advocate for, and serve our member counties. This edition of the NYSAC News magazine hits all of these goals: it is designed to supplement the work already being done at the county level and adds to our ongoing dialogue for how we can all move forward to collectively address the climate change challenges we face.
Stephen J. Acquario, Esq. NYSAC Executive Director NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
7
NYSAC News NEW
YORK
NYSAC News NEW
YORK
STATE
ASSOCIATION
OF
COUNTIES
NYSAC’s mission is to represent, educate, advocate for, and serve member counties at the federal and state levels. President Hon. Martha Sauerbrey Publisher Stephen J. Acquario Managing Editor Mark F. LaVigne Editor Tom Oldfather Designer Kate Pierce Advertising Staff Juanita Munguia 8
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
STATE
ASSOCIATION
OF
COUNTIES
Advertise with NYSAC Contact NYSAC Marketing Specialist Juanita Munguia at 518-465-1473 or jmunguia@nysac.org Published 3 times a year by the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC), the NYSAC News is the official publication of NYSAC, a non-profit, municipal association serving the 57 counties of New York State and the City of New York with its five boroughs for over 90 years. NYSAC’s mission is to represent, educate, advocate for, and serve member counties at the federal and state levels.
NYSAC NEWS MAGAZINE
515 Broadway, Suite 402, Albany, New York 12207 Phone • (518) 465-1473 Fax • (518) 465-0506 Send submissions to toldfather@nysac.org. Submissions should be 750 to 1,000 words and include a high resolution photo of the author. All submissionsare subject to editing for clarity, content and/or length. The advertisements and articles in NYSAC News in no way imply support or endorsementby NYSAC for any of the products, services or messages conveyed herein. ©2021 New York State Association of Counties
Table of Contents Volume 43, Issue 3 Fall 2021
NYSAC UPDATE
10
Accomplishments, Challenges and Change
12
The Pandemic's Impact on County Sales Tax
ADAPTING TO NEW THREATS
32
Assessing Climate Vulnerability in Erie County
35
Creating a ‘Just Transition’ for Communities Impacted by Power Plant Closures
LOCAL LEADERSHIP FOR A GLOBAL CHALLENGE
36
Building Climate Resiliency Along Lake Ontario
14
A Make-or-Break Moment to Lead the Green Economy
38
Protecting NY Forests from Invasive Species
17
Preparing for Climate Change While We Work to Prevent It
40
Climate Resilient Farming
42
American Rescue Plan Act
18
Top Environmental Priorities for Counties
44
The Miners Next Door
47
What the CISO Wants the Executive to Know
20
Planning For Net Zero In Your Community
22
‘Charging’ Ahead on a Green Fleet in Tompkins County
25
How NY Counties Can Take the Lead on Climate Resiliency
50
Finding Common Ground on Renewable Energy Projects
26
Warren County Honored for Being ‘Climate Smart’
54
How we Can Live and Thrive While the Climate Changes
27
Tri-County EV Shared Services Purchasing Initiative
56
County Administrators and Managers Lead
THE COUNTY VOICE
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
9
NYSAC UPDATE
Accomplishments, Challenges and Change New York’s New Political Landscape By Ryan Gregoire, NYSAC Legislative Director
W
hile 2021 presented many successes for counties to applaud, this past year certainly wasn’t without challenges. As counties continue to vaccinate New Yorkers against COVID-19, stand-up school based COVID-19 testing, and respond to community needs in an evolving world, our state’s economic outlook remains uncertain and policy leaders in Albany will need to be laser focused on rebuilding, reimaging, and reforming government to work for everyone. The NYS Capitol had been closed to visitors, but as COVID cases declined over the late spring and summer, the building, a symbol of state government, has begun to return to normal. As this building re-opens to the public, so does a renewed sense of advocacy and engagement with our executive. Governor Kathy Hochul has assumed the reins of power and has promised to use her platform to usher in a new era of transparency, cooperation, and respect—and that includes her partners in government, counties.
Several components in last year's budget will have an impact on county operations, including: •
A continuation of county sales tax diversion to pay for the distressed provider relief fund. This legislation sunsets March 31, 2022. Stopping this diversion from continuing will be a top priority of the Association in SFY 23 budget negotiations.
•
A continuation of county sales tax diversion for AIMrelated payments. The Executive Budget had proposed shifting the remaining town and village AIM program to the county sales tax diversion. This proposal was ultimately rejected; however, the state did not resolve the current $59.1 million AIM-related program.
•
Increased funding for community colleges. The enacted budget provides an additional $14.37 million for community college base aid above the Governor’s request, a $50 per FTE increase with each campus guaranteed to receive at least 98 percent of the prior year base aid amount.
•
Boards of elections capital infrastructure investments. The enacted budget includes an additional $25 million capital appropriation, of which $20 million shall be made available to local boards of elections for replacement of voting systems and equipment, absentee ballot scanners, mail processing equipment and infrastructure to protect the connectivity and security of county election software.
•
A full breakdown of the state budget impact to counties can be found on the NYSAC website: www.nysac.org/ nysbudget.
As NYSAC strengthens our relationships with state lawmakers and forges new relationships with executive chamber staff, our policy priorities and 2022 legislative agenda will be more important than ever.
A Look Back at 2021 This year’s $212 billion state budget was enacted during a challenging period of a prolonged COVID pandemic and political uncertainty with the former Governor. While local Medicaid caps were preserved and local home rule revenue authority was extended, a continuation of the distressed hospital fund and mandating that counties use local sales tax to pay for state programs continues to be a troubling practice in this year’s budget.
10
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
of the state.
2021 Legislative Session The 2021 Legislative Session that began on January 6th was more challenging and atypical than any in recent history as the Legislature continued to convene in a hybrid environment. The State Legislature passed a total of 894 bills through both houses, a dramatic increase from 2020 (primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Despite the challenges, the 2021 session also resulted in NYSAC achieving all of our top legislative priorities passing through both houses. •
Early Intervention Covered Lives Assessment Fee on Commercial Insurance to Help Fund Services for Infants with Special Needs S.5560-A (REICHLIN-MELNICK) / A.5339 (PAULIN)
•
•
Reforming CPL Part 730, fixing the way we treat individuals who are deemed incompetent to stand trial.
•
Amend Executive Law Sec. 359 in the way county veteran service offices are funded. The calculation of how much a county receives should be based on the successful amount of claims it produces. An agreeable amount would be .5 percent of the total amount shown that a county's veteran population receives in yearly compensation benefits.
These are just a small snapshot of many legislative priorities and policy actions that NYSAC will be advocating for in 2022. We look forward to continuing our progress working with our counties, and state leaders in Albany to advocate on behalf of our constituency – all New Yorkers.
Expanded Investment Options for Counties S.6323 (GAUGHRAN) / A.7209 (THIELE)
•
Creates an AIM Redesign Task Force S.5418-C (COONEY) / A.6601-A (RIVERA)
•
Raises the Age of Juvenile Delinquent Offenses from 7 to 12
County Conversations Podcast Tackles Timely and Pressing Issues Impacting Counties
S.4051 (BAILEY) / A.4982 (HEVESI) •
Extends the Countywide Shared Services Initiative & Enhances Local Flexibility S.6455-A (REICHLIN-MELNICK) / A.7694-A (LUNSFORD)
The 2021 Legislative Session resulted in many victories for counties. However, we must not lose sight of the many policy areas that need to be tackled to ensure New York is on a path for long-term success.
Looking Ahead to 2022 While our 2022 Legislative Program and our agenda for the Division of Budget will serve as our initial advocacy tools, you can expect some of these areas to be included:
Also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify Visit nysac.org/podcast to tune into NYSAC's weekly podcast series.
•
Eliminating county financial responsibility for the state’s aid to municipalities (AIM) program by repealing Part PPP, Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2019.
Episodes are released each Monday morning to kick start the week ahead of you.
•
Ensuring the sales tax diversion provisions used to finance the temporary distressed hospital facilities fund sunsets (Part ZZ, Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2020) which is scheduled in current law.
Each episode features discussions with leaders from across the state that are focused on providing innovative solutions to local issues.
•
Providing counties with federal affordable care act eFMAP reconciliation payments for SFY 17 – 21.
•
Securing unrestricted, flexible funding to local health departments and restoring Article 6 reimbursement to New York City to 36 percent, the same rate as the rest
Listeners can contact NYSAC Multimedia Specialist Kate Pierce via email (kpierce@nysac.org) to provide feedback and ideas for the podcast.
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
11
The Pandemic's Impact on County Sales Tax By Dave Lucas, NYSAC Director of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs
D
uring the strictest lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic, every corner of the state saw dramatic declines in activity, but as things reopened, that activity picked up quickly in some parts. of the state while others lagged. By the end of 2020 just over half of the counties saw their sales tax collections recover to prior year levels. However, for counties that did not recover, all but one was still behind at the end of February 2021. New York City and the neighboring metropolitan counties were the first to feel the impact of the pandemic. Density issues in downstate regions delayed their reopening and resulted in a slower restoration of economic activity. As regions of the state reopened the impact on taxable sales activity became evident.
Mapping the Sales Tax Recovery Table 1 highlights State of New York data for taxable sales activity for a full year under the COVID pandemic (the state taxes goods and services differently than most counties and this results in a different variety of industries contributing to sales tax than for most counties). This period represents March 1, 2020, through February 28, 2021. Total taxable sales were down by $44 billion, or 12 percent. Nearly $27 billion, 60 percent of the shortfall, occurred in the hard-hit Restaurants and Traveler Accommodation sectors, respectively, hotels & restaurants. Businesses deemed essential (big box, grocery and warehouse stores) and internet-based retail experienced stronger growth to help offset some of the losses. The statewide impact on taxable sales is swayed by New York City. The City is reliant on its commuter workforce and tourism for a significant portion of its taxable sales. Restrictions on travel and social density shut down tourism and largely eliminated foot traffic across the city. Fewer tourists and “work from home” extended the economic pain to retailers and service providers of all kinds. As the epicenter of the pandemic, New York City experienced the sharpest declines in taxable sales and has had the slowest recovery of any region of the state. Total taxable sales were down by $43.2 billion, nearly 24 percent.
12
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
For the counties outside of the City the decline in taxable sales activity was much smaller, but it varied widely by county. Taxable sales were down $5.8 billion, or -2.6 percent. The losses were concentrated in travel accommodation, department and clothing stores, gasoline stations and restaurants.
Federal Stimulus Helped Boost the Economy A major contributor to the economic recovery was the enactment of Federal COVID stimulus funding. Especially critical were payments that supported individuals, businesses and state and local governments. Without federal support, the recession would have lasted longer and the damage to the economy would have been longer lasting. From the beginning of the pandemic through March of 2021, Congress and two presidents authorized $5.2 trillion in fiscal stimulus to fight the pandemic and restore the economy. To put this funding into perspective, the entire federal budget in 2019 was about $4 trillion. In the 18 months following the start of the pandemic the federal stimulus increased the average monthly growth rate in personal income by 271 percent, rising from .4 percent to nearly 1.1 percent.
Taxable Sales Recovered Gradually The easing of pandemic lockdowns in conjunction with federal stimulus enabled consumers to maintain their spending. The wide availability of vaccines provided comfort to consumers to wade back into more regular activities. As more time passed taxable sales improved, but the recovery varied considerably by county and region. Pre-COVID, taxable sales per quarter averaged about $92 billion for New York State. During the first year of the pandemic, no quarter exceeded the prior year average. The deepest lockdown months of March through May of 2020 experienced the biggest declines. This pattern held true in most counties. About half of the counties saw their sales tax activity fully recover by the end of 2020 even though certain sectors like tourism, hotel accommodation, restaurants, clothing stores and general retail continued to underperform. In aggregate, total taxable sales fell by $5.7 billion, -2.6 percent. The estimated sales tax loss was $234 million, but the impact was uneven with a range of -10.9 percent to +9.9 percent.
For New York City, the result was similar, but the downturn was deeper and lasted longer. The city vastly underperformed in sales activity in every quarter. As with counties, the same sectors were hit the hardest with travel accommodation down 90 percent ($8.5 billion), restaurants down 58 percent ($13.3 billion), clothing stores down 52 percent ($3 billion) and transit and ground transportation services down 50 percent ($1.6 billion).
•
high inflation - running at about 10 percent, more than four times higher than pre-pandemic levels;
•
federal stimulus payments to individuals and business is being exhausted, including enhanced unemployment benefits which ended September 2021;
•
supply chain disruptions are causing shortages, for high ticket items like automobiles and also general goods – this could dampen year-end holiday shopping and last well into 2022; and
•
the sharp spike in internet-based retail growth that occurred during the pandemic is moving toward prepandemic trends.
The Results After One Year of COVID Though taxable sales improved considerably across the state over the 12 months ending February 2021, the recovery has been uneven. While there is not a one-size-fits-all explanation why some counties performed better, those that lagged were usually more reliant on: •
tourism and hospitality,
•
large commuter workforces,
•
restaurants,
•
college students at school (rather than remote),
•
unique, or regional shopping destinations, and
•
regional entertainment & attractions (stadiums, concert venues, amusement parks, etc).
Heading further into 2021, sales tax activity continues to improve but there are a lot of one-time factors contributing to the recovery that will eventually end:
TABLE 1
Beyond taxable sales activity mentioned so far, we have sales tax cash results through September 2021. Collections continue to improve and the pace is expected to remain healthy through the end of the year with some exceptions as noted. NYSAC is estimating that total sales tax collections through September for the counties outside of New York City are about $7.5 billion. This is significantly higher than the same period in 2020 as COVID shutdowns deeply impacted results. The collections for 2021 are also significantly higher than they were for the same period in 2019 on a nominal basis, up nearly 18 percent. As described, one-time factors are heavily influencing sales tax results in 2021. High inflation and state law changes related to internet-based retail can explain more than half of the strong growth over 2019 results. Counties will have to be cautious as they move forward in estimating sales tax revenues for their 2022 budget and beyond as the one-time factors that buoyed retail activity are gradually removed.
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
13
L O C A L L EAD ER S H I P F O R A G L OBAL CH ALLE NGE
A Make-or-Break Moment to Lead the Green Economy By Patrick K. Ryan, Ulster County Executive
T
here's nothing like a leisurely stroll through the woods next to a rambling waterway to help reset and relax. One of the most interesting and scenic walks any time of year is in a ravine between two of New York State’s Finger Lakes. After the hottest summer on record following a once-in-acentury pandemic, I believe strongly that we have a huge opportunity and a moral obligation to future generations to tackle the climate crisis today! As the new Chair of NYSAC’s Climate Resiliency Committee, I look forward to working with county leaders from across the state and our state partners to develop local solutions to this global challenge. Someday, we’ll look back at this make-or-break moment in history and ask ourselves, “Did we rise to the challenge?” I hope that the work that we have begun here in Ulster County will serve as a beacon to other counties across New York State in their efforts to lead meaningful change in our communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen our resiliency against the effects of a changing climate. Since taking office in 2019, the work we have done to protect our environment has positioned Ulster County to be on the leading edge, not only in advocacy, but in building a green, equitable economy that will rebuild, realign, and reinvigorate our community. On Earth Day this year, I unveiled a Green New Deal for Ulster County, which leans into the future green economy that’s already happening all around us. A Green New Deal allows us to stabilize our climate, transition to clean energy, and protect and regenerate our natural resources. The leaders of the green economy will do the work of undoing generations of environmental and economic injustice, and building the workforce, businesses and infrastructure needed for green economic leadership. Here in Ulster County, we are accelerating our transition to clean energy: setting high efficiency standards for new buildings, retrofitting and weatherizing 1,000 Ulster County homes per year by 2025, and greening 20% of Ulster County’s
14
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
vehicle fleet in the next five years. We are shaping an equitable green economy by building on the success of our Ulster County Green Careers Academy launched in 2019 – combining low-income home weatherization efforts with job training opportunities, piloting green careers education in our middle and high schools, and working to make the Hudson Valley a center for green economic innovation. In April, I signed an Executive Order that directs a prevailing wage requirement or a Project Labor Agreement for all county-sponsored renewable energy projects. Finally, we are conserving our natural resources and building resilience: assessing all county roadways for storm resilience, continuing Ulster County’s efforts in redeveloping foreclosed brownfields, and working to ensure that all Ulster County farmers utilize climate smart practices. Through key investments early on in my administration, Ulster County delivered the skills and expertise necessary to begin careers in the rapidly expanding clean technology industry, and we’re ahead of schedule in achieving our goal to use 100% renewable electricity by 2030. Now, for the first time ever, towns and municipalities that participate in both Ulster County’s Housing Smart Communities program and the statewide Climate Smart Communities program will have access to a newly-created $3 million Ulster County Green Growth Fund, which can be used to facilitate municipal projects that reinforce our Green New Deal efforts. I’m also proposing we use the unprecedented, once-in-a-generation relief funds we have through the American Rescue Plan to make bold, transformative investments to lift up our community. I have an ambitious agenda to spur transformation across Ulster County with immediate efforts already under way and more launching by the end of 2021, aggressive interim targets for 2025, and long-term goals to reach by 2040. It’s a crucial task to shape the green economy and ensure that all that work translates into economic opportunity and prosperity for everyone.
Green. Greener. Greenest. NYPA’s Blended Power—Sustainable Energy at a Stable Price.
Introducing Blended Power—the newest energy product from NYPA. Blended Power is for local governments across New York, and for existing power customers. It is competitivelypriced, and is the perfect way to access additional green energy from NYPA. Choose fixed or variable rates and add green power to help meet your sustainability goals. Green power as only NYPA can deliver.
Contact Us.
nypa.gov/blendedpower
blendedpower@nypa.gov
A Product of the New York Power Authority NYPA brings you a full suite of energy management solutions—from energy efficiency to clean power and digital energy management. Turnkey, cost-effective implementation led by NYPA—your trusted energy advisor.
SCAN FOR DETAILS
SP O N SO RE D CO NTENT
HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP?
Let’s chat.
A message from WSP Sustainability, Energy and Climate Change Practice Leader, Jon Dickinson Dear community leaders, As most will attest, 2020 was a pivotal year. It required us to pause and rethink our priorities. And yet, on our behalf you courageously faced, and continue to face, unprecedented challenges. We know, because as you have navigated responsibilities protecting public health, redeveloping budget projections, and setting new staffing and community project expectations, you have trusted WSP as your advisor. Some of you are also dealing with unprecedented growth and debates about land use, natural resources management, and infrastructure development that have upended long-held assumptions about municipal governance. We understand these priorities must take precedence, and that dedicating time and resources to take action on climate change may seem tangential. However, I would like to invite you into a rapidly escalating discussion. Many of our clients are recognizing that transitioning from a more reactive approach to one that favors preparedness through the lens of climate change resilience is necessary to address current and future risks posed to the municipalities of New York. For communities to thrive, it is necessary to proactively tackle socioeconomic inequity and lack of access to opportunities, which have been underscored and exacerbated by the pandemic. COVID-19 has highlighted the unmet needs of New York’s most vulnerable populations; those most at risk to extreme weather and unexpected events, and the associated community
wsp.com/usa 16
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
impacts to health, economic stability, and general wellbeing. With this understanding has come a window of opportunity to introduce the mechanisms to effect meaningful change. Communities are taking steps to ensure that they have the right planning and expertise in place – policies, budgets, and a common operating language on climate change. The challenge now before New York’s municipalities is to create the conditions in which all communities can take full advantage of future economic, social, environmental, or cultural opportunities. This multifaceted step change requires eliminating barriers to inclusion and participation to reinvigorate local economies and build economic and societal resilience to combat the threats of climate change. We see you taking these steps firsthand, through our work developing justice and equity-focused community-wide climate vulnerability assessments and climate action plans. We are inspired as we assist you with undertaking actions through NYSDEC’s Climate Smart Communities program and NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program — providing free and unique resources to reduce the technical burden of pursuing meaningful local climate action and helping communities connect to their peers to find beneficial synergies and efficiencies. WSP has a long history supporting municipalities to address climaterelated threats and opportunities. We understand many communities are constrained by the financial and technical resources necessary to analyze
and respond to climate change impacts. That is why we work hand-in-hand with you to become part of the community organization, to collaboratively design meaningful and effective climate mitigation and resilience solutions unique to your community’s needs and priorities. We know you have a lot to accomplish. How can WSP support you in realizing your post-pandemic vision of a thriving, Future Ready™ community? How can we help you see more clearly through the lens of climate change mitigation and resilience? We, all of us, need you to succeed. WSP can help. I invite you to contact us to learn more about WSP and our Climate, Resilience & Sustainability team. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have. Your partner in climate action,
Jon Dickinson jonathan.dickinson@wsp.com Jon Dickinson is a Practice Leader on WSP’s Sustainability, Energy and Climate Change (SECC) team. With over two decades of climate change and sustainability experience, Jon leads SECC’s government services practice.
WSP works with organizations and communities to help them become Future Ready. We develop strategies to mitigate emissions and enhance sustainability, identify potential risks and opportunities to become more resilient, and implement equitable adaptation solutions that prioritize community and stakeholder engagement and environmental justice.
Preparing for Climate Change While We Work to Prevent It By Daniel McCoy, Albany County Executive
A
ll around us, we continue to see the detrimental effects of climate change here and around the globe. The Capital Region experienced record-levels of rainfall this summer forcing residents to deal with frequent flooding. Hurricanes are becoming more intense than ever before. Hurricane Ida and Tropical Storm Henri were just the latest to reach Upstate New York, taking lives throughout the state and causing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of damage. On the West Coast, extreme drought and wildfires are becoming the norm rather than the exception. Climate scientists have been warning us of this new reality for decades, and we know our nation has not done enough to respond. So what do we do to address this existential crisis? There is a role for all of us, and county leaders, with the help of organizations like the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC), are well positioned to respond. Albany County is leading by example by prioritizing electric vehicles and charging stations, investing in renewable energy, and focusing on energy efficiency to reduce our carbon footprint. I am also thrilled that the Port of Albany will be home to America’s first offshore wind turbine manufacturing site, a critical component of New York State’s ambitious renewable energy goals. While these climate mitigation steps are essential, this is a war we must fight on two fronts. Adaptation and resilience measures to protect life and property will be increasingly important as we continue to feel the impacts of climate change on a regular basis.
That is why Albany County is undertaking a Countywide Climate Resiliency Plan with support from New York State’s Department of State. Through extensive stakeholder and community outreach, our Resiliency Plan will complete a risk assessment for key assets in the county and develop strategies and projects to increase our resilience. When we say resilience, we are analyzing and improving the resilience not just of our hard infrastructure, but also our economic systems; our natural systems, our health and social services, and finally our housing stock, all with a focus on vulnerable populations. The result will be tangible actions that the county and our community partners can take to increase our preparedness and minimize the impacts of flooding and other severe whether events. All of the plan’s recommendations will be rooted in smart growth principles such as redevelopment and investment in existing communities, increasing transportation options, and preservation of open space. Now is the time for this kind of planning and we hope our process can serve as a template for other counties. The potential availability of federal infrastructure funds and a state Environmental Bond Act to address climate change could give counties a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the resilience of our communities. Counties that position themselves to take advantage of this opportunity will be able to advance projects and programs that make their communities safer, more prosperous, and better prepared for the inevitable impacts of climate change.
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
17
Top Environmental Priorities for Counties By Alexandra LaMonte, NYSAC Legislative and Policy Coordinator
Environmental issues are an important focus of NYSAC’s legislative advocacy. The following are key environmental priorities for counties going into the 2022 Legislative Session.
Engage Counties in Climate Planning In March 2020, New York State’s Climate Action Council began the important work of creating a scoping plan that will help the state to meet its nation-leading goals of achieving 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050. As the Council works towards finalizing a Scoping Plan to meet these goals, NYSAC urges the state to actively engage counties and support local climate action through grants and technical assistance.
Another challenge for local recycling programs is glass, which has a low commodity value and causes problems for materials recovery facilities (MRFs) when it breaks and contaminates more valuable materials like paper. Glass recoups its highest value and can be used to make new glass products when it is redeemed and recovered through the Bottle Bill’s deposit program. NYSAC supports expanding the Bottle Bill to include additional glass containers—including liquor, wine, and iced tea bottles—to increase recovery and recycling rates and improve curbside recycling quality. NYSAC opposes adding additional plastic and aluminum containers to the Bottle Bill, as this would remove over $10 million in value from curbside bins that is used to offset to the cost of local recycling programs.
Enact the EPR Act Local recycling is at a crossroads as counties and municipalities continue to struggle with depressed commodity markets, aging recycling infrastructure, an ever-changing waste stream, and unsustainable costs. Municipalities and recycling system rate payers are projected to spend over $80 million in 2021 to keep local recycling alive. NYSAC supports S.1185-C (Kaminsky) to establish an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for paper and packaging that would shift the responsibility for recovering and recycling these materials from local governments and taxpayers to producers and brand owners. This legislation would also incentivize producers to reduce packaging waste and require them to invest in modernizing recycling infrastructure.
Expand the Bottle Bill
Improve E-Waste Recycling In 2010, New York State adopted legislation that assisted local governments with managing the growing electronics waste stream by requiring electronics manufacturers to fund e-scrap recycling programs. However, under this law, manufacturers no longer have to provide financial support to continue their collection programs after they have met their performance standard goal. This means that, in many cases, management costs are shifted back to localities midway through the year. NYSAC supports S.1095 (Kaminsky)/A.4500 (Hunter) to create a more stable and comprehensive e-waste recycling infrastructure and relieve counties of the costly burden of collecting and disposing e-waste.
18
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
Combat Water Contamination PFAS is a category of man-made chemicals that have been widely used to make products like nonstick cookware, carpets, and cosmetics because of its stain-resistant, waterproof, and nonstick properties. However, we now know that these highly toxic “forever chemicals” accumulate in our bodies and the environment over time instead of naturally breaking down. NYSAC supports data transparency regarding PFAS detections, and we urge New York State to continue providing grants and technical assistance to support PFAS remediation. We also urge the state to provide options for safe disposal.
Invest in Clean Water Infrastructure New York’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs are significant, with an estimated $80 billion in upgrades needed over the next 20 years. Aging drinking water and sewage systems put our local economies, environment, and health at risk. The state has made a historic commitment to invest $5 billion in drinking water infrastructure and source water protection through the Clean Water Infrastructure Act (CWIA); however, no new grants have been awarded to local governments since 2020. NYSAC commends Governor Hochul for restarting the flow of water infrastructure funding and supports making the full $2 billion of stalled CWIA funding available to state agencies so it can be awarded be to communities across the state.
NYSAC advocates at the local, state, and federal levels on the myriad of important issues that impact counties and county taxpayers across New York State. Our expert staff works diligently to provide county leaders with thorough and up-to-the-minute information about state legislative action, NYSAC advocacy efforts, and the national issues impacting our counties. To learn more about NYSAC's State Advocacy, Committees and Resolutions, Federal Advocacy, and Policy Reports, visit
NYSAC.org/Advocacy.
At Nationwide®, participant priorities are our priorities. From enrollment through retirement, our people, tools and education support participants so they can confidently make smart decisions.
To find out more, contact: Brendan Morrison - Program Director 617-686-8990 morrib16@nationwide.com www.nrsforu.com
Nationwide, through its affiliated retirement plan service and product providers, has endorsement relationships with the National Association of Counties and the International Association of Fire Fighters-Financial Corporation. More information about the endorsement relationships may be found online at www.nrsforu.com. Nationwide and its agents, representatives and employees are prohibited by law from offering investment, legal or tax advice and do not do so. Please consult with your tax or legal advisor before making any decisions about plan matters. Retirement Specialists are registered representatives of Nationwide Investment Services Corporation, member FINRA, Columbus, Ohio. Nationwide and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. © 2020 Nationwide
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
NRM-12870AO.5 (11/20)
19
Planning For Net Zero In Your Community By Diane Levin, VP Marketing and Product Development, New York Power Authority
A
s part of our climate leadership goals, New York State is committed to 70% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. While net zero has traditionally been associated with new building codes and standards communities are increasingly taking up the challenge within existing facilities. The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is leading the path to net zero decarbonization for our customers. We have helped some of the largest customers in New York State, including local governments, communities, and municipalities to meet their energy efficiency goals.
Customers may want to consider these factors when moving to net zero: HOLISTIC PLANNING. There’s an interplay between operations, building electrification, technologies available, demand and energy charges, clean energy choices, and organizational goals. The best plan takes into consideration your organization’s cost savings and sustainability goals, and matches them to energy efficiency possibilities today with a path for a net zero outcome in the future. OPTIONS FOR YOUR NET ZERO BUILDING. NYPA looks at each of these opportunities individually and then brings them together into a comprehensive plan:
We guide our customers on the complex path to net zero, and manage through policy changes, incentives, grants, and new technologies. We also provide advisory, contracting and implementation services ranging from retrofits and recommissioning through to an all-encompassing multi-year clean energy master plan.
Recommissioning and maintenance
A well-running system can reduce energy consumption without sacrificing operational performance. Recommissioning is a must. Over time, even the best systems drift and need a refresh for optimized operations.
A move to carbon net zero should consider all aspects of clean energy – from simple energy efficiency solutions to solar and even electric vehicles (EVs).
Smart technologies
Consider smart technology upgrades to monitor energy usage. This provides the data you need to fully optimize your system, and prepares you for future opportunities in demand response or other grid management programs.
Building electrification Switching from fuel to electric energy opens the potential for net zero carbon buildings through renewable energy credits (RECs), and offers the potential to tap into distributed energy resources.
20
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
Distributed energy resources (DERs)
Solar and storage offer the opportunity for green energy and resilience.
EV infrastructure
EVs are not technically a part of a net zero building, but as EV adoption grows, communities will need to add supporting parking and charging infrastructure. A clean energy expert can design these parking and charging systems to include storage and to manage peak usage – both important aspects of a net zero future.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS: PAYBACK TIME, INCENTIVES, GRANTS, AND BUDGET IMPACT. Before starting a project, NYPA does a payback and cost/benefit analysis. On the budgeting side, we can implement projects with no upfront cost, and can structure the payments to come out of incremental cash flow. We also apply for grants to reduce the cost of the project. POLICY, INCENTIVES, AND PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS THAT IMPACT GOVERNMENT ENTITIES. The marketplace is changing quickly, and government entities need to be upto-date on policy impacts, state and local mandates, and incentives and grants. They also need to meet contracting and procurement requirements. NYPA keeps on top of local, state and federal policy, and shepherds our customer organizations through the contracting and procurement process. We recommend that government organizations reach out to us, or identify another partner that can help them stay up-to-date on the ever-changing landscape. In summary, careful planning and management can help organizations assess options and achieve net zero in a costeffective manner. Contact NYPA today to learn how we can support your clean energy initiatives at energysolutions@nypa. gov or visit www.nypa.gov/services
PROUDLY SERVING THE 62 COUNTIES OF NEW YORK STATE
architecture
CONTACT US TODAY!
engineering
Charles Nesbitt, Jr. cnesbitt@wendelcompanies.com
energy efficiency construction management
877.293.6335 21 wendelcompanies.com NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
‘Charging’ Ahead on a Green Fleet in Tompkins County By Terry Carroll, Chief Sustainability Officer, Tompkins County
I
n the race to transition to electric vehicles (EVs), Tompkins County is charging ahead. An innovative Green Fleet Capital Plan, a commitment to moving towards net-zero emissions for government operations, and a department leading the way have all allowed Tompkins County to show what’s possible. Tompkins County’s Green Fleet Capital Fund was implemented in the 2020 budget year with the aim to offset the increased costs of electric vehicles for departments as they buy replacement vehicles, while also providing funding for infrastructure upgrades that allow for on-site vehicle charging. The commitment from the Legislature laid out a 5-year plan with $350,000 dollars allocated each year. This capital fund helps provide certainty that year-over-year, funding will be available to purchase more EVs to replace those that run on fossil fuels. It also signals to community members and staff that Tompkins County is serious about our commitments. In 2010, Tompkins County pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from county operations by 80% of 2008 levels by 2050, with an incremental goal of 20% reductions by 2020. As the county approached 2020, we realized that the interim goal had overwhelmingly been surpassed, with an emissions reduction of 51% as measured by traditional methodologies. However, alarm bells were ringing from the international scientific community that more needed to be done, and on a quicker timeline than previously thought. Goals targeting 2050 were no longer enough. So, we went back to the drawing board and modified our goals via an updated 2019 Energy Strategy, laying out a plan to strive for the largest reduction in the shortest timeframe possible while remaining financially solvent. In short, the race is on for Tompkins County to get to net-zero emissions as quickly as possible, and electrifying transportation will play a large role in whether we achieve our goals. Our 2019 Government Operations Greenhouse Gas Inventory identified 1,686 metric tons of carbon emissions resulting from the county fleet. The capital fund gives us the resources to address these vehicle emissions head on, while we acknowledge that increased internal buy-in will also be necessary. Thankfully, our Health Department is already showing what is possible.
22
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
The Tompkins County Health Department received their first electric vehicle in 2018 thanks, in part, to funding from Tompkins County’s designation as a Clean Energy Community by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The accompanying grant funding helped us buy 15 EVs, 10 of which were allocated to the Health Department. With a mixture of plug-in hybrid Chevy Volts and fully electric but short-ranged Nissan Leafs, relying on dedicated charging infrastructure, the Health Department was a first-test case for what an electrified county fleet would look like. Thankfully, the test was passed with flying colors. The Health Department developed a program to help employees learn more about EVs and become comfortable driving them to home and site visits across the county. Lessons were learned about what charging infrastructure is necessary, which vehicles are best for the job, and the potential financial savings we may see from the switch to EVs due to lower maintenance requirements and cheaper electricity costs. Employees grew to not only be comfortable driving the vehicles, but the EVs became the preferred choice for most employees. The Health Department has since decided that all future department vehicles will be electric and other departments are taking notice; our Information Technology, Recycling, and Facilities Departments are all awaiting electric vehicle deliveries in 2021 and more EV purchases are expected next year. Even our Highway Department is interested in supporting this effort by incorporating emerging electric trucks in their operations. The Green Fleet Capital Fund, an aggressive emissions goal, and a department that was willing to lead the way, have all shown what is possible for municipal governments. Tompkins County is committed to reducing our climate impact and we see EVs as a huge opportunity to move in that direction. However, solving fleet emissions is just one part of the climate equation; buildings emissions represent a whole other sector that we need to tackle. Thankfully, a Green Facilities Capital Plan is now moving forward on an equally aggressive timeline as the fleet conversion. With these investments, Tompkins County is well positioned to have slashed emissions to achieve the goal of 80% emissions reduction ten years early, with the goal of net-zero becoming ever closer to a reality.
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
23
Better. Together.
At ProAct, we empower employers to get more out of their prescription drug benefit by providing innovative and customizable plans. Our primary focus is our commitment to the highest level of member and client service. Lots of PBMs say it – but we prove it every day with a culture built around caring, partnership, and responsiveness. Call us today for a customized solution for your u pharmacy benefit plan: (888) 254–3552
Learn more at: proactrx.com u
The only PBM headquartered in New York State
As we continue forward through these unprecedented times, we remain focused on providing the needed pharmaceutical and healthcare services to the New York counties close to home as well as countless communities nationwide.
Let's keep moving forward together.
ENDORSED BY:
Your Fully Integrated Pharmacy Benefit Manager 24
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
How New York Counties Can Take the Lead on Climate Resiliency By Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters
I
t’s evident to every New Yorker that climate change is here, threatening our communities, impacting our public health, and compromising our infrastructure. Severe flash flooding has washed away roads and flooded highways. Communities are feeling the effects of extreme heat, which is damaging our health and can be fatal. No one is exempt or unimpacted from the climate crisis, which means that we all have a part to play in our climate solution.
In November 2022, we will have the opportunity to vote yes on the Environmental Bond Act. Once passed, we can invest billions of dollars in creating a climate resilient New York. We will have funds – much of which will be available for local government grants - to protect clean water, conserve our family farms, and reduce local climate risks. We need to make this investment now so that we save billions of dollars in the long run.
We’ve seen a lot of progress and urgency over the past few months, especially since Hurricane Ida, from our elected officials. Climate change is front and center in the federal Build Back Better Act. Governor Hochul has announced several environmental projects, including building two new transmission lines to bring clean energy to the most energy dense pockets of our state, and proposing an additional $1 billion for the Environmental Bond Act. It’s reassuring to see our federal and state leaders taking action.
Simultaneously, we need to focus on reducing emissions. Cleaning up our power grid and transitioning to renewable energy is essential and will create good-paying, local jobs across the state. We need local leaders to champion renewable energy projects in their region and promote policies that invest in solar and wind energy, and battery storage. We also need to adopt green building standards that require more efficient and green features, like heat pumps and solar panels.
But we all know that all politics is local, and some of the most important work is done at the local and county levels. We have our work cut out for us to create a clean, healthy, and safe New York for all, and our local leaders are essential to getting this work done. Our climate work falls into two categories. We need to build a climate-resilient future; since we know extreme storms are here to stay, we need infrastructure that is prepared to take on flood-waters and neighborhoods that are adapted to hotter weather. We also need to reduce emissions; this means decarbonizing all sectors of our economy, including our buildings and transportation, which are the largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions. The climate crisis is expensive – but if we make the right investments now, they will pay off. First, resiliency projects are the immediate solution to keeping our communities safe. We need to protect our shorelines from erosion, protect our wetlands to absorb stormwater, and construct stormwater management systems that can handle increased flooding. We need to focus resiliency efforts along waterfronts, water and wastewater treatment plants, and airports, which are more vulnerable to power outages. Robust natural buffers will also help protect us from storms, including wetlands and dunes.
We’ll also need our county leaders to take charge on reducing transportation emissions, which is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New York State. We’re working on the federal and state levels on important policies that will accelerate this transition, and we need our local politicians to also make this a priority. We need to transition municipal fleets to clean fuels and electric vehicles and switch to electric buses. This is also an equity issue; highway pollution disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color, who see higher rates of asthma and other health conditions. New York’s local leaders play a large role in shaping our climate future; we need environmental champions at all levels of government. We need all of New York State’s counties to step up to be certified as Climate Smart Communities. To date, less than a 25% have done so and we need the other 75% to follow the lead of Albany, Broome, Dutchess, Erie, Madison, Orange, Schenectady, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, and Westchester. The time to act on climate is now, and the New York League of Conservation Voters calls on our county leaders to make this a priority. Together, we can make a clean, healthy New York for all.
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
25
Warren County Honored for Being ‘Climate Smart’ By Don Lehman, Warren County Director of Public Affairs
W
arren County has been focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions for a number of years, efforts that resulted in two recent statewide recognitions as county leaders work to protect the environment that is crucial to Warren County’s tourism economy. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has designated the county as a “Certified Bronze Climate Smart Community,” while the county also earned the designation of "Clean Energy Community" by NYSERDA in 2020. The Climate Smart designation is awarded to communities that complete the requisite number of actions taken to locally respond to the global climate crisis. In addition to the county’s honor, the city of Glens Falls, town of Queensbury and village and town of Lake George in Warren County have also been designated as “Climate Smart” communities. The “Climate Smart” designation occurred as a result of Warren County: •
Installing electric vehicle charging stations at the Warren County Municipal Center.
•
Developing “Climate Vulnerability Assessment/Adaptation Strategies.”
•
Adopting the New York State Unified Solar Permit to speed approval for solar energy projects, with a solar farm in the works at Warren County Airport.
•
Restoring riparian buffers along West Brook in Lake George, a major lake tributary.
•
Establishing a financing project for building energy efficiency.
The NYSERDA recognition occurred after the county completed 4 out of 10 “high impact” actions that support efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and conserve energy.
26
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
“There are few things more important to Warren County's local economy than protecting the natural resources that have attracted visitors and residents here for centuries. We are the home of Lake George and countless additional environmental treasures, so it is important for Warren County to be an active participant in the Climate Smart Communities program,” explained Rachel Seeber, Chairwoman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors. Certified Bronze Climate Smart Communities are given advantage on funding applications, which can be used to adapt local infrastructure to anticipated extreme weather events and implement practices that reduce energy use. The Warren County Planning Department coordinated Warren County’s efforts toward these achievements. “The Climate Smart title serves as representation of the hard work done in Warren County to advance actions that promote our environment, our most valuable resource,” Warren County Planning Director Wayne Lamothe noted. In addition, a 17-person Warren County Climate Smart Task Force, made up of Warren County legislators, county employees and representatives of other local municipalities and organizations, has met periodically since 2019 to discuss goals and actions for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's “Climate Smart Communities Program.” "I’m proud to lead the Board of Supervisors in this endeavor, and I’m grateful for all of the staff who are working on these efforts, to make Warren County a DEC-Certified Bronze Climate Smart Community,” said Glens Falls 3rd Ward Supervisor Claudia Braymer. “We have more to do, but this is a great way to help with reducing pollution and protecting the entire Lake George region." Future goals for the Warren County Climate Smart Task Force include development of a greenhouse gas inventory, climate action plan, and development of a natural resources inventory.
Tri-County Electric Vehicle Shared Services Purchasing Initiative Albany, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties Announce New EV Charging Stations and Fleet Electrification Plan By Kate Pierce, NYSAC Multimedia Specialist
A
lbany County has recently joined Suffolk and Westchester Counties in a tri-county agreement that increases the combined purchasing power and will drive down the costs associated with transitioning the counties away from fossil fuel-powered fleets. The new shared services partnership to procure electric vehicles (EV) is an effort to tackle climate change, reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, save taxpayer dollars, and develop a shared services framework that will serve as a model for other local governments across the State. “Albany County was designated a Climate Smart Community by New York State because we’ve demonstrated our commitment to preventing and preparing for climate change, including through our past investments in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure,” said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy. “I’m proud to build on that progress by partnering with likeminded county executives through this innovative shared services plan.” The plan allows all three counties to move to 100% electric vehicle fleets by no later than 2030. Installing new charging stations throughout Albany County is also part of the initiative. They will be put at the county parking lot on Washington Avenue, the Ann Lee Nature Preserve and the Lawson Lake County Park. “There is no denying the impacts that climate change is having across the State, but through strategic partnerships such as this, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint and harmful emissions,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “With Albany County now joining together with Suffolk and Westchester, we can further drive down the cost of these electric vehicles, saving critical taxpayer dollars.” In May, similar to President Joe Biden’s recent Executive Order, Westchester County Executive George Latimer and Bellone signed dual Executive Orders that directed their respective county departments to develop plans to convert their vehicle fleets to electric by 2030.
Departments were directed to submit plans to the County Executive and requisite departments to achieve clean and zeroemissions fleets by 2030 or sooner. “As we saw with Hurricane Ida, climate change is real, it is here, and we must act now to do something about it,” said Latimer. “This policy will put us on the forefront of this fight, leading by example so other local governments around the State and country can follow.” Currently, Westchester County’s fleet includes 17 all electric cars and 68 plug in hybrids. Westchester County has also recently added six all electric Bee-Line Buses on the fleet. The buses, which are all part of the clean fleet initiative, are two 40-foot buses and four 35-foot buses. In addition to meeting sustainability goals by reducing emissions, these new electric buses will save Westchester County money by providing the system with significant fuel savings. “It is our job on the local level to ensure we are leading the way and doing everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint and harmful emissions from transportation to create a cleaner, healthier environment for our residents,” said Bellone. “This joint procurement will lay the groundwork towards a clean, zero-emissions fleet by 2030. Not only are we building back, but we are building back better with cleaner, greener energy.” Other counties around New York State are encouraged to follow suit to further increase the buying power for purchases and further drive down costs paid by counties. Additionally, this new policy allows for the local municipalities within each of the three counties to buy and lease electric vehicles as well. “Not only will we cut our emissions through this plan, we will also be cutting the price tag, which will ultimately benefit our taxpayers,” said McCoy. “It’s my hope that more counties will partner with us, and this progress will encourage those in the private sector to follow suit.” NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
27
Architecture
Engineering
Planning
Design for
Safety, Security, & Rehabilitation Your experts for NYCOC compliance Our integrated planning, architecture & engineering team designs: —
Housing units as normative environments
—
Intake areas to support de-escalation
—
Visitation spaces to encourage rebuilding relationships
—
Safe and secure facilities
—
Flexible solutions for fluctuating populations
smrtinc.com 28
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
518.782.2316
NYPA CAN HELP YOUR COMMUNITY TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY AND SAVE MONEY BENEFITS OF PARTNERING WITH NYPA • Turnkey services from planning to implementation • Expert implementation across the full range of energy solutions led by our team of engineers and project managers • Strategies to maximize your cost savings and take advantage of energy incentives • Experience with government entities for a complete understanding of State guidelines, and an ability to streamline contracting and RFP processes
SERVICES: Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Smart Street Lighting NY
Energy Efficiency
Green Energy
NY Energy Manager
Solar, Storage and Advisory
Explore nypa.gov/services
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
29
30
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
31
ADAPTING TO NEW THREATS
Assessing Climate Vulnerability in Erie County By P. Josh Wilson, Director of Sustainability, Erie County Department of Environment and Planning
A
s the impacts from climate change take over headlines, local governments are on the front lines protecting their communities and responding to the consequences. These impacts disproportionately affect our most vulnerable residents, and New York State counties, with their important emergency, public health, planning, and social services roles, are the lynch pins for integrating climate resilience into our communities’ plans and operations.
program, which has provided a grant that is allowing the county to work with a team from University at Buffalo that includes Dr. Susan Clark, Dr. Christian Renschler, Jonathan Townsend and Samantha Horne. The CVA has been conducted with input and oversight from our Community Climate Change Task Force, which is made up of expert and community stakeholders, and advises the county on our climate action initiatives. The project is nearing completion, and will wrap up later this year. The CVA effort is using a three-phase approach:
Western New York, the region that is home to Erie County, is in some ways in an enviable position – with temperate weather moderated by the Great Lakes, abundant fresh water, and long distance from the ocean, we are better known for snow storms than heat waves, droughts or hurricanes. But this narrative of our region as a ‘climate oasis’ can also be a trap. For example, one respected climate model has shown a potential for seventeen 100-degree days per year in Buffalo by 2070. We are a community that has never recorded a single 100-degree day, many of our buildings lack air conditioning, and in many ways, we are more vulnerable to heat events than communities that regularly deal with high heat. Our older building stock and high proportion of seniors and low-income residents magnify this threat. Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz has overseen a broad effort to take action on climate change and in 2019 the county began work on a Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CVA). This effort, led by the Department of Environment and Planning, focuses on the county’s role in addressing climate threats. The work is being supported by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Climate Smart Communities 32
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
•
Assess the upcoming threats from climate change, such as extreme weather events and vector borne disease;
•
Investigate the sensitivity of the community to these climate threats; and
•
Determine the adaptive capacity of the county to address the identified threats and sensitivities.
The first phase of the project involved a review and prioritization of various potential climate change threats. Based on this assessment, we determined that the following threats merited further investigation for the remainder of the project: increasing heat events, precipitation events and flooding, and biological threats from vector borne disease, invasive species and harmful algal blooms. Later, we added some emphasis on extreme wind and lake seiche events (which lead to shoreline erosion and stability issues). In the next phase, we developed a sensitivity analysis for the identified threats. Climate sensitivity refers to the degree to which our community is impacted by the anticipated climate related hazards. For each particular hazard we conducted mapping of three facets of sensitivity: landscape attributes, socioeconomic attributes, and mobility. Using this approach, we developed a series of maps that estimate sensitivity to the particular climate hazards. We are currently wrapping up the third and final phase of the project, which includes a series of interviews with key community stakeholders and county departments, including Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Health, Social Services, Senior Services, and Public Works to better understand our operational and community capacity to protect the community.
The CVA process has helped the county work across silos to address threats that demand a coordinated response. The results have been informative. For example, while we already have identified cooling centers for heat waves, many of them lack backup generation to provide cooling if power is interrupted. Issues like this are now contextualized in terms of climate threats and sensitivities in a way that lets us prioritize our response. And, over and over during this effort one thing has become clear: there is a large economic and social benefit to getting in front of this issue now versus later. As a next step, we are building climate resilience into an equityfocused community climate action planning effort that will wrap up in 2022. The resilience section of that plan will build on the CVA and will include laying out a series of strategies and actions Erie County will take to make our communities less vulnerable. We recognize the challenge in front of us and that our work will make our community stronger as we enter an uncertain future. For more information about Erie County’s climate work, visit: www.erie.gov/climateaction.
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
33
Finding Value in Surplus For 30 years Absolute Auction & Realty has been providing New York municipalities professional auction services, finding value in surplus, with outstanding results. In rem tax foreclosures, surplus real estate, vehicles and equipment? Today, as always, results matter.
Professional Solution. Maximizing Results. Industry Leaders.
AARauctions.com
34
Absolute Auctions & Realty, Inc. 45 South Ave, Pleasant Valley, NY NYSAC News | Fall 2021 845-635-3169 | info@aarauctions.com
Creating a ‘Just Transition’ for Communities Impacted by Power Plant Closures By Stephen J. Acquario, NYSAC Executive Director
A
s many of you know, New York recently enacted the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. This is among the most ambitious climate laws in the world and requires New York State to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050. This aggressive plan is important for combating climate change, but it could have financial consequences for our counties. Specifically, the transition to renewable energy means that jobs in many of our communities as well as the tax revenues associated with existing fossil fuel-fired power plants may be lost. A new grant program established by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), may be of interest to your county. The program, titled the “Just Transition Site Reuse Planning Program” was developed to assist communities who will in the future or are currently experiencing negative economic impacts of fossil fuel power plant closures. The program provides communities with planning and assistance for the closure of a fossil fuel-fired power plant and the attendant loss of tax revenue and most unfortunately, job losses. Under this program, NYSERDA will provide communities with 100% of the site reuse planning costs, with no cost share required. In addition, among the goals of the program are converting former power plant sites into productive alternate uses consistent with the needs of the community. Working with the affected community, NYSERDA and its contractors will develop a comprehensive plan, which will include the following: •
A detailed site evaluation
•
Economic analyses and tax impacts
•
Community engagement
•
Alternative reuse plans
•
Evaluation of demolition costs, and
•
Public health impacts.
Further assistance can be provided to achieve more advanced community revitalization goals, which may include infrastructure assessments, environmental investigations, development of marketing material, labor strategies, community revitalization strategies, public engagement methods, and other studies or plans as identified through the initial baseline planning process. Each participant is eligible for up to $150,000 in grant funding, dependent on the scope of work identified in the application and determined in conjunction with NYSERDA and their selected contractor. Applicants who have a Disadvantaged Community (DAC) within their municipality may be eligible for additional funding. Applicants must be a county, city, town, or village that is home to a fossil-fuel power plant that has been decommissioned within the last five (5) years, is currently being decommissioned, or has confirmed its plans to retire and deactivate by a certain date in the future. Applicants that are home to other operating fossil fuel facilities that commenced operations prior to 1990 will also be considered. Once selected, the program participant is responsible for identifying and committing a qualified staff resource to serve as the project liaison for the duration of the planning process. The project liaison is responsible for identifying and soliciting members to participate on a steering committee and facilitating routine meetings. In addition, the project liaison will coordinate site activities related to the power plant site. If this program applies to your county or a city, town, or village within your county, I urge you to take advantage of the grant. Specific questions regarding the program should be directed to NYSERDA at jtplanning@nyserda.ny.gov. The application can be found at the below link: https://www. nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/Just-Transition-SiteReuse-Planning
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
35
Building Climate Resiliency Along Lake Ontario By Hanna C. Quigley, Assistant Landscape Architect I, Barton & Loguidice and Thomas M. Robinson Senior Managing Landscape Architect,Barton & Loguidice
T
he Great Lakes cover the largest surface of fresh water in the world, spanning 4,530 miles of coastline, with an overall watershed of over 200,000 square miles. The Lakes comprise 21% of the global supply of surface fresh water, and 84% of North America's surface fresh water. In recent years, the region has been experiencing extreme precipitation events, changes in growing seasons, and heightening temperature, which have resulted in damage to coastal environments. This has impacted the people, ecosystems, and infrastructure of the Great Lakes region. In response to these challenges, New York State developed the Resiliency & Economic Development Initiative (REDI) to provide funding to communities for coastal resilience and economic development. Wayne County, located in central New York along Lake Ontario, was awarded grant funding through this program for multiple projects. Two of the projects selected are the Crescent Beach Barrier Bar Project and the Blind Sodus Bay Barrier Bar Project.
Barton & Loguidice worked closely with Anchor QEA as the selected consultant team for these projects. The synergy between various practice areas enhanced our approach to solving two different coastal challenges along Lake Ontario: creating new nature-based systems to protect existing shoreline, and re-establishing pre-existing shoreline.
Crescent Beach Crescent Beach is a 1.5 mile long barrier bar located in the Town of Huron and the Town of Sodus, New York on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. The barrier bar is home to approximately 80 seasonal and year-round residents and protects Sodus Bay from wind, wave, and ice forces on Lake Ontario. Sodus Bay provides bio-diverse aquatic habitats and is designated as a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) significant natural community. The primary objective of the Crescent Beach REDI Project is to design and construct a natural or nature-based shoreline stabilization system that protects Crescent Beach from Lake Ontario wave action and enhances the overall resiliency of the barrier beach. Design criteria include: • Long Term Protection of Crescent Beach Shoreline from Wind, Waves, and Ice Forces • Protection of Sodus Bay aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems •
Impacts to Private Property
•
Use of Natural or Nature-Based Features
•
Cost Considerations
•
Maintenance Considerations
Multiple alternatives were evaluated with these criteria, resulting in the selection of a barrier rock reef living shoreline system, which achieves the established objectives and design criteria. Incorporating public input, the design team developed a living shoreline system that distributed protection and ecosystem enhancements 36
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
throughout the project site, considered community benefits, and upheld the REDI Objectives. Public input was received through an ESRI Storymap, a Virtual Public Meeting, and ongoing correspondence with residents. It is anticipated that these projects will provide the following benefits along the entirety of Crescent Beach and to the surrounding community: •
Conservation and enhancement of local ecosystems, including those unique to each site and Bay;
•
Support for local tourism and the recreational economy;
•
Improvements for both water-based and land-based recreational activities; and
•
Visual and functional quality in the selection of materials and appearance.
Blind Sodus Bay The Blind Sodus Bay REDI Project has a similar process and similar goals to the Crescent Beach REDI Project, but applied Communities along the Great Lakes have suffered significant damage from changes in climate and resulting water levels along the shoreline in the past decade.
to a different context. Blind Sodus Bay Barrier Bar is located to the east of Crescent Beach along Lake Ontario, spanning a total distance of 0.6 miles. The project objective was the reestablishment of a historic publicly-owned shoreline which once separated and protected Blind Sodus Bay from Lake Ontario wind, wave, and ice forces. This includes restoring a once isolated ecosystem, providing more robust natural and naturebased features that are more species focused, re-establishing a pre-existing gravel/cobble beach and historical navigation channel, and enhancing the barrier bar that still exists. Coastal modeling has been used to evaluate the performance of the proposed shoreline, while additional modeling is being utilized for geomorphology. This deeper depth of analysis will predict the long-term longevity of the proposed design. Information networking is critical for advancing climate adaption strategies. The B&L and Anchor QEA team presented these resiliency projects at the 2021 Great Lakes Climate Action Seminar, hosted by the NYU American Society of Landscape Architects, and will be presenting the projects at the 2021 National Coastal Conference in New Orleans, LA in September 2021. Both the built and the natural environment of the Great Lakes display potential vulnerabilities to climate change. Climate change will tend to amplify existing risks that impact people, ecosystems, and infrastructure. Effective countermeasures will require deep collaboration between science, design, engineering, and community planning.
The erosion of the shoreline and flooding from these high water conditions during winter seasons causes irreversible affects during the rest of the year
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
37
Protecting NY Forests from Invasive Species By Ryan Gregoire, NYSAC Legislative Director
N
YSAC recently published a podcast episode of County Conversations featuring Mark Whitmore, the principal investigator and founder of the New York State Hemlock Initiative. Mark is a forest entomologist with the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University, and he currently works with professional land managers, state and federal agencies, local government officials, and concerned citizens to help them understand the issues surrounding and strategies for minimizing the impact of non-native invasive insects such as the Emerald Ash Borer and the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. Interview edited for length and clarity. RYAN GREGOIRE Could you give an overall picture of our hemlock forests in NY? Both as a natural resource to all of us in New York, but also serving as a very important recreational and a tourism tool for our state? MARK WHITMORE
38
RG What are Hemlock Woolly Adelgids and how are they threatening forests in New York? MW The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is a little insect. In trying to describe it, I would say it's a millimeter in diameter, like a little beach ball with mouth parts that go into the twigs of the trees. It really became recognized around the 1970s, when it was killing amazing numbers of hemlocks in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's been in New York State since the 1980s. It doesn't move really rapidly in New York State, and one of the reasons is that it's susceptible to cold temperatures, and the polar vortex really slowed it down for a couple of years. But now, the past three years have been nice and warm, and I've seen the populations explode and the adelgids start to move into places that we were looking at and getting very worried about.
Hemlocks are one of the more important trees in New York's forest. They're the third or fourth most common tree in New York State. Suffice to say that in some places like the Catskills and a lot of the Adirondacks, it really is one of the most common tree species there, and it's important for a number of different things.
I feel heartened that the effort that we put in the Adirondacks has really slowed the pace of HWA expansion in the area. Whereas last year, we found some pretty heavily infested trees. Right now, we're sort of like finding little light spots.
It's called a foundation species, and this is a word that basically refers to species that form the basis of the habitat upon which a myriad of other species depend for their survival.
Where are we at currently with the insecticides that are currently being used as a short-term solution, and then also long-term with the biological controls?
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
RG
MW
RG
Our work on the West Coast has shown us very clearly that when you exclude the predators, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid persists. So, with that information, we're moving full speed ahead to try and bring the predators that are not here on the East Coast from the West Coast and get them established and try and do that in the most efficient manner we can. So basically, since 2008, I've been releasing one of the predators of beetle we call a little Larry.
What should county leaders keep in mind going forward?
The other insects we've been working with are something called silver flies. We're hoping that we can get these predators established rapidly enough that they'll be able to control the population so that they don't kill the hemlock trees like they have done throughout the south. In the meantime, we're very, very fortunate to have some very effective chemicals. And that's what we've been using in areas of high priority, like state parks and in areas like around Lake George. The chemicals are very safe. They're applied just to the tree. The chemicals stay just within the tree. And the beauty is that one application can last perhaps up to seven years or even more. But we can't treat every tree out there, and I don't want to treat every tree. I want to get the long-term solution out there, and that's a biocontrol so we can get off the chemical treadmill.
MW Climate change is real, and it is impacting the distribution not only of these invasive insects, but also I think it could potentially impact native insects that haven't normally been pests. We have to pay attention to everything that's out there and really be sensitive to not normal things. And that's what people can do if you see a bunch of trees in your yard, or your wood lot, or your park and all of a sudden something is going wrong with them. Something has affected them. Shrugging your shoulders and just cutting them down is not the right answer. We need to know about it. And when we know about things, then we can actually start to handle it. It hasn't always been this way. It's like there's been bug problems in the past, but now we're looking at more catastrophic bug problems that come with a price tag added to taxpayers and extra work for county employees. I think it's important to be aware of these things and not stick your head in the sand saying, well, that's for somebody else to deal with. You can't do everything, but at least be aware of some of the issues that are surrounding you, especially when it comes to maintenance of infrastructure and the placement of trees.
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
39
Climate Resilient Farming How the Program is mitigating the Impact of Climate Change on NY Agriculture By Jennifer Clifford, NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, Climate Resilient Farming Program Manager
C
limate change has impacted the agricultural sector in a variety of ways. From increasing the risks of soil erosion, reduced soil quality, and pollution events to threatening agricultural productivity, and impacting food security, these effects can be felt by farmers, the communities they live in, and by consumers. New York State has committed to combating climate change by taking some of the most aggressive actions in the nation. Signed in 2019, New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) for example, sets targets for the agricultural sector to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sequester carbon. There has also been an expanded focus on increasing a farm’s adaptation and resiliency to drought and flooding events as a result of a changing climate.
Agricultural waste storage cover and flare systems have the capacity to immediately impact both the GHG emissions from the farm and the farm’s resiliency to major precipitation events. Stored liquid manure produces methane, a GHG that is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide, meaning that manure management is an essential component of addressing climate change within the agricultural sector. Cover and flare systems involve installing an impermeable cover over a manure storage facility, piping the emitted methane and other gases away from the facility, and burning the gas in a flare, significantly reducing the global warming potential of the system. A cover also eliminates millions of gallons of clean rainwater from entering the storage, keeping clean water clean, and reducing emissions associated with spreading millions of gallons of rainwater on crop fields.
To address this, the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets and the NYS Soil and Water Conservation Committee (SWCC) offer grant programs to help farmers to adopt transformative management practices that reduce GHG emissions, increase carbon storage in soils and woody plants, and protect atrisk agricultural lands, all while providing multiple benefits that improve the health and resiliency of the state’s farms, ecosystems, and communities. Together, the SWCC and County Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) provide programs and services that make it easier and more affordable for farms to implement regenerative agriculture. One program accessible to farmers is the Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) framework, which provides funding and technical assistance for GHG reduction activities, including conservation tillage, cover crops, and others. Among the programs under the AEM umbrella is the Climate Resilient Farming Program, which is intended to support farmers to proactively address climate concerns. Launched in 2015, the Climate Resilient Farming (CRF) Program, helps to reduce the impact of agriculture on climate change (mitigation), and to increase the resiliency of New York State farms in the face of a changing climate (adaptation). To date, CRF has awarded $12 million, helping 200 farms across the state. Eligible projects include agricultural waste storage cover and flare systems, water management systems, and soil health management practice systems.
40
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
Impermeable cover on a manure storage to reduce methane emissions and eliminate rainwater from entering the storage.
Water management is an effort to prepare agricultural producers for two anticipated, and experienced, impacts of climate change: flood events and drought. The water management systems include many conservation systems and best management practices that stabilize and reduce flows, and/or store water, such as riparian forest buffers, stream corridor and shoreline management, erosion control, ponds, and wetlands. Some conservation systems, such as transferring land to perennial production or forest buffers, can also create beneficial carbon sinks.
Wetland installed on a farm in the Skaneateles Lake watershed in Onondaga County.
Improved soil health on farms can significantly enhance a farm’s resiliency to the impacts of climate change, including offering benefits during times of drought and wet weather, as well as optimal growing conditions. Soil health practices including conservation crop rotations, reduced or no tillage practices, cover cropping, and nutrient management can create carbon sinks, increase water holding capacity, and improve recycling of nitrogen by crops, thereby mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
Did You Know?
• NYSHIP is available to virtually all public employers across New York State • Over 800 counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and special districts participate in NYSHIP Interseeder purchased by Schuyler SWCD through the CRF grant program to aid farmers in planting cover crops. The specialized equipment can plant directly within an existing crop.
Round 6 of Climate Resistant Farming program will offer up to $8 million for eligible projects. Farms interested in assistance should contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District to start planning.
• More than 1.2 million public employees, retirees and their families have health insurance through NYSHIP
A unique health insurance plan developed for New York’s public employees For additional information regarding The Empire Plan or the Excelsior Plan, public employers may visit our website at www.cs.ny.gov or email the Public Employer Liaison Unit (PELU) for the New York State Health Insurance Program at PELU@cs.ny.gov. Employee Benefits Division of the New York State Department of NYSAC Civil Service News | www.nysac.org
41
American Rescue Plan Act Federal Funding to Combat Climate Change By James Clark, Director of State and Local Response and Recovery, IEM and Michele Jones, Project Manager, State and Local Response and Recovery, IEM
T
he American Rescue Plan Act will deliver over 12 billion dollars across the State of New York. The direct allocations of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds will provide a substantial infusion of resources to help turn the tide on the pandemic, address its economic fallout, and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable recovery. In utilizing the funds to address the public health emergency, counties are also encouraged to consider how this once-in-alifetime funding opportunity may be used to reduce threats to our climate change related hazards. The American Rescue Plan Act identifies broad funding areas for jurisdictions to replace lost public sector revenue; support public health expenditures; address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency; provide premium pay for essential workers; and invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. Through the initial funding segment, counties may calculate the revenue lost due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, utilizing the methodology provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Interim Final Rule provides recipients with broad latitude to use funds for the provision of government services to the extent of the revenue loss. Through the revenue loss provision, jurisdictions can seek to implement climate-friendly energy efficiency adaptation and climate mitigation measures while maintaining or building new infrastructure. During renovation or while designing buildings, counties may consider improving the building’s
42
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
insulation, incorporating energy-efficient lighting, utilizing efficient cooling/heating equipment, designing a strategic building façade, focusing on renewable energy sources, and implementing cogeneration systems. Cogeneration systems increase the energy efficiency of large facilities by recovering waste heat from onsite electric generators, which is used for space heating and domestic water heating. Supporting public health expenditures also offers an opportunity to consider the climate crisis through COVID-19 mitigation measures, such as ventilation improvements in congregate settings, health care settings, or other locations, and capital investments in public facilities to meet pandemic operational needs, such as physical plant improvements to public hospitals and health clinics or adaptations to public buildings to implement COVID-19 mitigation tactics. While implementing these measures, climate-friendly energy efficiencies may be incorporated. Jurisdictions may also seek ways to reduce the number of individuals seeking in-person government services to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, which may be an eco-friendly alternative. When addressing the negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, the Interim Final Rule provides opportunities for communities to improve outdoor spaces and services when located in a Qualified Census Tract (QCT), offered to families and individuals living in QCTs, or provided by Tribal governments.
Building stronger neighborhoods and communities through green spaces can address the economic and social conditions which influence individual and group variances in health status. To improve conditions, jurisdictions may make investments in parks, public plazas, and other public outdoor recreation spaces to promote healthier living environments, encourage outdoor recreation and socialization that further mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
•
transmission and distribution (including lead service line replacement)
•
source rehabilitation and decontamination
•
construction of publicly owned treatment facilities, national estuary program projects, stormwater systems,
•
water conservation, efficiency, and reuse measures,
In addition, investments in green infrastructure can reduce harmful carbon pollution, cool urban heat islands, minimize flooding, improve water quality, and clean the air.
•
energy efficiency measures for publicly-owned treatment works
•
and water reuse projects.
Urban tree canopies in parks and along city streets are estimated to remove 711,000 metric tons of air pollution annually (a $3.8 billion value) and sequester more than 90 million metric tons of carbon (CO2 equivalent), which is equivalent to removing more than 19 million cars from the road for one year according to the National Recreation and Park Association. Across New York, communities are considering investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure to reduce environmental risk. The U.S. Department of the Treasury identifies eligible projects counties may consider, including but not limited to: •
With the American Rescue Plan’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds allocation, jurisdictions can alter the scope of their community and secure a brighter future by combating the COVID-19 public health emergency, implementing programs to build stronger neighborhoods, address health disparities, and improve infrastructure to ensure clean drinking water, lead-free homes, and clean air to improve the quality of life for all residents while combating climate change related hazards.
water treatment
Registered Municipal Advisors Serving New York State Municipalities Since 1967 Bond & Note Issues w Refunding Bond Issues w Lease Financings w EFC Short and Long Term Financings w Energy Performance Contract Financing w Credit Ra�ng Assistance w Accoun�ng & Bookkeeping Services w Cash Flow Borrowings w Con�nuing Secondary Market Disclosure
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
250 South Clinton Street, Suite 502, Syracuse, NY 13202 Phone (315) 752-0051 John Shehadi, CIPMA, Municipal Advisor Mark Vislosky, CIPMA, Municipal Advisor Christine Crowley, CIPMA, President/Municipal Advisor Benjamin Maslona, CIPMA, Executive Vice President/Municipal Advisor
CAPITAL REGION
HUDSON VALLEY REGION
WESTERN REGION
Jeanine Rodgers Caruso, CIPMA MBA, CEO/Municipal Advisor 63 Putnam Street, Suite 202 Saratoga Springs, New York 12866 (518) 541-3861
Beth Ferguson Vice President/Municipal Advisor 827 Rte 82, Suite 10231 Hopewell Junction, New York 12533 (845) 447-2214
Kelly Lathan, Financial Analyst 5 North Avenue LeRoy, New York 14482 (585) 502-5010
www.fiscaladvisors.com Founding firm member of the Na�onal Associa�on of Municipal Advisors 5/5/20
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
43
The Miners Next Door How Cryptocurrency Production Affects Communities and the Environment By Dr. Colin Read, Professor of Economics and Finance,SUNY Plattsburgh
D
onald Rumsfeld once famously stated that “There are known knowns. We also know there are known unknowns — that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout (history) ..., it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult ones.” There are a number of potential industries that will significantly change the way we do things. Sustainable energy, electric cars, artificial intelligence and others come to mind. But there is no sector in history that has gone from nothing to trillions of dollars of activity in such a short time as we now see in cryptocurrency. The problem is that while innovation occurs at the speed of light, humans adapt much slower. And the regulatory bodies, the planning boards and councils, and our legislatures are simply unable to address issues that arise until sometime after the problems become apparent. Often that is too late. Cryptocurrency mining was thriving in China for almost a decade, partly because they manufacture most of the machines that mine Bitcoin and other coins, and partly because the Chinese government offered very low electricity prices as a tool for economic development. But, with the bulk of China’s electricity generated from coal, and with their concern for pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, China has since decided that this industry does very little for job creation and does a lot for environmental degradation. They recently kicked the miners out. The industry in the U.S. saw that coming and have been scrambling to create locations here to house the containers filled with mining machines that are being shipped en masse from China to the U.S. Any community with affordable electricity, relatively weak fire code, health and safety, noise code, and heat dissipation rules, and desperate enough for even a handful of jobs is now on the cryptocurrency miners’ map. Those communities in New York State with the very lowest industrial electricity rates anywhere, approaching 1.9 cents
44
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
per kilowatt-hour in Plattsburgh, for instance, were the canaries in the coal mine. Before local officials realized that data processing really meant mining, one of the world’s largest bitcoin operations had already taken root. A new mayor, a six-month moratorium on new mining, followed by a set of building and zoning codes, and a successful petition of the NYS PSC to ensure the costs of purchasing additional power in the spot market must be covered by the operators rather than the entire rate base, was a sufficient response for miners to move on. The problems arising from these plants: noise from heatdissipating fans, high room temperatures, danger to firefighters from ultra-concentrated fires, ratepayers sharing the cost of sufficient expensive electricity to power these plants, could not have been imagined. There is no industry that takes in so much power—an average of 20% of all power consumed in Plattsburgh—all in one former shop in a strip mall, and releases that enormous concentration of power in the form of heat, and a few electrons over the Internet. These problems will correct themselves over time. Some jurisdictions are proactive and are considering the steps Plattsburgh took to protect its ratepayers and the local economy. And, the growing trend of cryptocurrency mining to move from a model called Proof of Work, which requires hundreds of thousands or millions of individual machines to compete against each other, toward Proof of Stake, which does all the mining by a handful of highly trusted and protected machines. Once this transition is complete, there will be no need for large scale mining and the diversion of 3% of the world’s electricity to cryptocurrency. Those jurisdictions that realize promised jobs are mostly in the construction and build-out phase, with few jobs necessary to monitor the mines as they whirl away, will develop their codes to protect their communities in the long run. The protections are not just in the nuisances described earlier, but also in the potential damage to tourism and other activities, or the decommissioning of plants converted by LLCs that quickly disappear once Proof of Stake takes root. Cryptocurrency is here to stay. It’s up to us to decide whether there will remain lasting legacies in our communities.
anaerobic digesters
Farm Credit East is proud to support the efforts of farms and other natural resource based businesses as they adopt conservation measures and climate smart practices. FARMCREDITEAST.COM 800.562.2235
Loans and Leases Tax Services Payroll Services Business Consulting Record-keeping Country Home Loans Crop Insurance FarmStart for New Businesses Real Estate and Equipment Appraisals
HELPING COMMUNITIES SOLVE COASTAL CHALLENGES
Climate change amplifies the risks that impact the people, ecosystems, and infrastructure of the Great Lakes. Utilizing the New York Resiliency & Economic Development Initiative (REDI), Barton & Loguidice helps coastal communities develop effective countermeasures and collaborations that provide a bridge between science, engineering and design.
Learn more at bartonandloguidice.com
UNLOCK THE FULL POTENTIAL OF YOUR ENERGY SPEND
Siemens Client, City of Troy NY
Siemens is working with communities across New York to improve sustainability and reduce their energy costs. We leverage our expertise to use energy savings to pay for critical infrastructure improvements, while driving positive net revenues. Siemens guarantees the savings and price, as well as the technical implementation to eliminate performance risk. We bring unique solutions and unparalleled experience to deliver the lowest lifecycle costs and best outcomes to communities. Guaranteed Savings
Guaranteed Pricing
HUDSON VALLEY/CAPITAL REGION Tommy Garrett 518-424-0762 thomas.garrett@siemens.com WNY/Finger Lakes Chris Catt 585-514-1635 catt.christopher@siemens.com
46
LONG ISLAND Regina Zara 631-307-8082 NYSAC News | Fall 2021 regina.zara@siemens.com
Guaranteed Performance
What the Chief Information Security Officer Wants the Executive to Know By Karen R. Pratt, Cyber Security Officer, Washington County
Know That Cybersecurity is a Team Sport •
•
•
First and foremost know that EVERYONE has a role. Even the individual that may not have access to a computer, but is an employee who let’s someone in, provides company information to someone on the telephone, or provides unauthorized access to equipment – all are part of the cybersecurity team. Know that you have a responsibility to secure the information the organization holds. Individuals in the organization generate, process and store information that other people want for malicious reasons. You have a role and knowing about cybersecurity is important in your organization. Know that the CISO is a partner (and at times a coach) and wants to help you move the organization forward and achieve the organizational goal.
Know What the Organization Has and Who Has Access to It •
Know what the organization has, the importance of it, and the impact should the organization lose it or it’s stolen. If you don’t know what you have and are not managing it, it’s a risk.
•
Know that the organization should inventory ALL computer software and hardware. This is a huge undertaking but know what you have and its purpose. You don’t know if you have lost something or don’t know if you are minimizing the risk, if you don’t know what you have to start with.
•
•
Know the kind of information the organization has (such financial records, contact information, address information, payroll information, social security, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses personal and work, purchasing history), and what it will mean if it got in the hands of someone who wanted to do the organization harm. Know who has access to your data and equipment including your vendor community/3rd parties. Does your 3rd party
use a 4th party? Do you know where they are storing your data, who has access to it, how are they accessing it and how they are protecting it? •
Know what is critical to your operation. The more critical it is, the more important it is to protect it.
•
Know that NYS Technology Law requires municipalities to have a breach notification policy in place documenting procedures to take in the event there has been unauthorized access of private information compromising the security, confidentiality, or integrity of the information.
Know That You Need to Invest and Dedicate Resources Protection is not free. Yes, there are some services offered by state and federal partners that are, but not everything. You will need to dedicate funding and TIME for employee training – remember they are the gatekeeper. In many cases they are the one that is standing between securing organizational data and allowing malicious actor access to organizational data. Why not train them what to look for? You will need to invest in tools to scan for anomalies. You will need to invest to make sure your systems are updated so that malicious individuals do not take advantage of publicly known vulnerabilities. And there’s more tools, training and policies, but know that you will need to invest for the future of the organization.
Know Where You Are in Your Cyber Journey •
Vulnerability Assessment – if there’s one thing that all counties should be familiar with is the NCSR (National Cyber Security Review), and the CIS Top 18 Controls framework. Both are tools that are easy to use, and a great framework to adopt. It displays your cyber maturity and progress, strengths, weaknesses and areas of improvement.
•
Remember it’s a journey. The needle will move a little at time, but know that what you do today, will improve your cyber posture for tomorrow.
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
47
AUCTIONS REALTY & MANAGEMENT, INC.
Trusted and highly recommended for over 34 Years to provide Surplus Property & Real Property Auction Services with proven results
Collar City customers say it best: "they really do it all" “Randy, Audra and the Collar City team take care of everthing…they really do it all…proven experts in the business” “I highly recommend Collar City to anyone looking to simplify the auction process and lighten your workload” – Matthew Ossenfort, Montgomery County Executive
"highly qualified,experienced" “Randy and his team are courteous, highly qualified, experienced and knowledgeable in all aspects… a team proven to be specialists in the business” – Michael Slawson, Rensselaer County CFO
"professional, courteous, attentive" Surplus Property & Real Property Auction Services
"During the preparation, planning, and process of conducting the Auction, we found the Collar City Auctions Team to be professional, courteous, and attentive to our needs and requirements." -Kevin Gardner, Oswego County Treasurer
Licensed & Bonded Auctioneers, Realtors, Certified Appraisers & Consultants
Online • Onsite • Live Stream
We Do All The Work For You! NEVER A COST TO MUNICIPALITIES AUCTIONS REALTY & MANAGEMENT, INC.
Collar City Auctions - 9423 Western Tpke. Delanson, NY 12053-2105 (888)-222-1522 | randyp@collarcityauctions.com | www.CollarCityAuctions.com
Advertiser Index Absolute Auctions & Realty, Inc..................................... 34 ACENY............................................................................. 23 Auctions International, Inc............................................... 6 Barton & Loguidice......................................................... 45 Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC........................................ 4 C.T. Male Associates........................................................ 21 Collar City Auctions Realty & Mgmt, Inc..................... 48 EIC NY PACE.................................................................. 28 Farm Credit East.............................................................. 45 Fiscal Advisors & Marketing, Inc................................... 43 H2M architects & engineers........................................... 49 IEM..................................................................................... 4 LaBella Associates........................................................... 39 Municipal Electric & Gas Alliance Inc........................... 60 N.K. Bhandari, Architecture & Engineering, P.C............ 6 Nationwide Retirement Solutions.................................. 19 New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal................... 58 New York Power Authority............................................. 15 New York Power Authority............................................. 29 New York State Health Insurance Program .................. 41 Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP............................... 51 PERMA............................................................................... 2 PFM Financial Services LLC............................................. 3 PKF O'Connor Davies, LLP............................................ 55 ProAct, Inc....................................................................... 24 ProAct, Inc....................................................................... 55 Siemens Industry, Inc...................................................... 46 SMRT Architects and Engineers..................................... 28 Systems East, Inc.............................................................. 59 three+one......................................................................... 30 Wendel.............................................................................. 21 WSP USA (Advertorial).................................................. 16
BUILDING COMMUNITIES SINCE 1933 H2M is dedicated to building sustainable communities. We work towards this goal by building multi-disciplinary teams around project specific goals to identify opportunities and develop designs that address client needs while considering environmental and social impacts.
866.970.6535
h2m.com
New York - Albany | Melville | New York City | Suffern | Westchester
THE COUNTY VOICE
Local Perspectives Finding Common Ground on Renewable Energy Projects by Jeanne E. Mettler, Copake Town Supervisor
I
n early 2020, a Chicago based corporation by the name of Hecate Energy came to the Town of Copake in Columbia County, to announce their intention to build a 60 MW solar project. The proposed site was to be comprised of three noncontiguous areas totaling over 700 acres. Over the last 21 months, Hecate has reduced the size of the project to 245 acres, but have not reduced the MWs and their plan still calls for the sacrifice of Prime Farmland to build the project. The overwhelming majority of Copake residents oppose the project in its current size and as it is currently sited. Early in September, Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post tweeted an article from the Register Star about the solar debate in Copake. Her tweet included a quote from me, “The existential threat of climate change is real. However, New York State cannot fail rural communities, ignore home rule and erase natural resources and precious farmland with the current rubberstamp renewable energy siting process. Environmental impact should be weighed when looking to save the environment. Both the Town Board and the Columbia County Board of Supervisors have been unanimous in opposing the Hecate project as currently proposed. I am happy to stand with rural Towns across the State in challenging these regulations." A few moments after their tweet was posted, I received an email from someone named Doug. Doug wrote: “Just wanted to commend your fantastic work crafting an epitaph for humanity's gravestone. ‘The existential threat of climate change is real,' however, really says it all.” The Town of Copake has said again and again that Copake is not opposed to a solar installation. It is the magnitude of the project, as well the proposed location directly in front of residential areas, without any effort at adequate shielding, that makes the project unpalatable. Both sides of this debate acknowledge the threat of climate change. But we are suing the state because the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) would allow a 245 acre industrial site in Copake without State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) review.
50
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
The other side says “There’s a war on. We cannot worry about your viewsheds or local laws or SEQRA or home rule. Everyone has to do their part.” This country has a long history of extreme measures because “there is a war on”. There was a war on and we thought it was ok to intern the Japanese. There was a war on Communism and we lived through McCarthyism.. There was a war on drugs and we passed the Rockefeller laws and locked up two-bit players for life. We are suing New York State because they did not take the time and care to pass laws and regulations which would allow renewable energy but also balance the very real concerns of rural communities like Copake. Someplace between these two well-intentioned sides of the solar debate there is a narrow strip of no-man’s land where there could be compromise. There could be a solution if New York State paused long enough to pass legislation and regulations which would address climate change in a way which does not put the entire burden on small rural towns that are unlucky enough to host a substation. Every single law and regulation in NY favors corporate interests. If corporate developers were mandated to actually work to protect local resources and address community concerns we might find a solution. When will New York State step up to do the hard work? Copake calls upon the State to pass a law which would honor home rule, balance the obligation to confront climate change among all the counties of the State, and require community input. Then indeed, we may move forward to battle the most significant challenge of our lifetime.
Bond Basics for Counties in New York State
Bond Basics for Library Districts and Other Municipal Libraries in New York State
Bond Basics for Towns, Villages and Cities in New York State
Bond Basics for School Districts in New York State
douglas e. goodfriend and thomas e. myers
Bond Basics for Fire Districts in New York State
douglas e. goodfriend and thomas e. myers
douglas e. goodfriend and thomas e. myers
thomas e. myers and douglas e. goodfriend
thomas e. myers and douglas e. goodfriend
The Nation’s Top Public Finance Law Firm Orrick is bond counsel to numerous counties throughout New York State. We provide cost effective and prompt partner attention to all of our clients. Douglas Goodfriend and Thomas Myers have over 60 years of combined experience in public finance matters, and have authored the “Bond Basics” series of primers for counties, towns, villages and cities, school districts, public libraries and fire districts in New York State. To obtain free copies of any of these books, contact publicfinance@orrick.com. Thomas E. Myers
Douglas E. Goodfriend
212-506-5212 tmyers@orrick.com
212-506-5211 dgoodfriend@orrick.com
ORRICK, HERRINGTON & SUTCLIFFE LLP
orrick.com
HOUSTON LOS ANGELES NEW YORK ORANGE COUNTY PORTLAND SACRAMENTO SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE SILICON VALLEY WASHINGTON, D.C.
publicfinance@orrick.com • www.orrick.com • 51 West 52nd Street | New York, NY 10019-6142 | tel 212-506-5000 Attorney advertising. As required by New York law, we hereby advise you that prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
51
NYSAC Thanks Our 2021 Fall Seminar Sponsors & Exhibitors for Their Support and Participation This Year! SPECIAL EVENT SPONSORS Absolute Auctions & Realty, Inc. Aetna AT&T Auctions International Inc. Bank of America Barton & Loguidice
OneGroup
EXHIBITORS
PayIt
Absolute Auctions & Realty, Inc.
Roosevelt & Cross Incorporated
Alera Group
Salesforce
Auctions International Inc.
US Employee Benefits Services Group
Capital Region BOCES
Wendel
Centrica Business Solutions
WSP USA
CFG Health Systems, LLC CGR
CHA
SILVER SPONSORS
Colliers Engineering & Design
eBizDocs
Axon
CommercePayments
Enterprise Fleet Management
Bolton St. Johns
Google Cloud
Bonadio & Co., LLP
Crowne Plaza Albany The Desmond Hotel
LaBella Associates, D.P.C.
C&S Companies
Municipal Electric and Gas Alliance, Inc.
Centrica Business Solutions
NYMIR
Epson
PERMA
Equitable
PKF O'Connor Davies
Geospatial Analytics
Siemens Industry, Inc.
Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company
Weedmaps
EA Engineering, P.C.
Haylor, Freyer & Coon
CORPORATE SPONSORS
Herkimer Industries LeChase Construction Services, LLC
IEM
Massachusetts Cannabis Business Association
ProAct, Inc.
McFarland Johnson, Inc.
SMRT Architects and Engineers
Microsoft Nationwide
GOLD SPONSORS Alliance for Clean Energy NY Dominion Voting Systems GTL JPMorgan Kofile Motorola Solutions, Inc. National Association of Counties NORESCO NYSTEC
NYCLASS P3 Cost Analysts Park Strategies LLC Philips Lytle LLP Resultant ReWire Energy RTO Wireless, LLC Systems East, Inc. UTC Associates Venesky & Company WINFERTILITY
Fiscal Advisors & Marketing, Inc. Fortinet GovDeals GovQA Health Economics Group, Inc. Hunt Engineers, Architects & Surveyors IEM LaBella Associates Municipal Electric and Gas Alliance, Inc. N.K. Bhandari, Architecture & Engineering, P.C. National Association of Counties New York Power Authority NYMIR NYS & Local Retirement System NYSID NYSPSP PERMA ProAct, Inc. Roemer Wallens Gold & Mineaux LLP Rubrik SMRT Architects and Engineers SWBR three+one UnitedHealthcare Retiree Solutions VMC Consultants Inc.
2021 Fall Seminar Recap Counties Advance Resolutions Setting the Groundwork for 2022 Advocacy County delegates from across the state convened to formally adopt the 2022 Fall Seminar resolutions, setting the groundwork for the Association’s 2022 legislative program and priorities. These 36 resolutions, which were advanced by the 11 NYSAC policy standing committees along with the NYSAC Board of Directors, include proposals to fix the diversion of county sales tax revenue to pay for state programs; advance the deployment of broadband across New York State; resolve disputes between the Indian Nations to ensure county revenue is stabilized; and make technical changes to the way counties build and improve road infrastructure.
Congratulations CGI Graduates! This year, 9 county officials were honored at the Fall Seminar for upholding the pillars of leadership, accountability, and integrity during a graduation ceremony for the County Government Institute. Join us in congratulating this year’s graduating class •
Hon. Renee Cole, Treasurer, St. Lawrence County
•
Ruth A. Doyle, Administrator, St. Lawrence County
•
Hon. Beau Harbin, Legislator, Cortland County
•
Hon. W. Brooke Harris, Legislator, Allegany County
•
Hon. Beth Hunt, Treasurer, Hamilton County
You can find the full slate of resolutions at nysac.org/resolutions.
•
Hon. Mark Margeson, Legislator, Chemung County
We thank our standing committee chairs, vice-chairs, and members for taking the time to debate, amend, and ultimately pass these resolutions through the standing committee adoption process during the conference.
•
Hon. Terri Ross, Treasurer, Allegany County
•
Hon. Rachel E. Seeber, Chairwoman, Warren County
•
Halle Stevens, Finance Director, Seneca County
CONFERENCE SNAPSHOTS
Registration desk at the 2021 Fall Seminar.
NYSAC's 2021 Fall Seminar featured 20 educational and timely workshops for county government leaders.
Luncheon in the ballroom of the Downtown Syracuse Marriot Hotel.
Panelist speakers for the Women Leadership Council workshop on diversity and inclusion.
NYSAC President Martha Sauerbrey, Immediate Past President Jack Marren and Executive Director Stephen Aqcuario
Martha Robertson introducing Dr. Bridget Seegers of NASA for a plenary presentiation. NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
53
Local Perspectives How we Can Live and Thrive While the Climate Changes by Matt Roberts, Madison County Supervisor, City of Oneida
I
went to the NYSAC conference this fall as a first term Madison County Supervisor representing the city of Oneida, looking to learn what other counties are doing to make their constituents lives better. After experiencing the conference, I walked away with some great ideas and some concerns. One of my concerns is the belief system surrounding climate change that has turned into law in New York State.
The CLCPA law forces New Yorkers and our descendants to live under stringent carbon emission constraints regarding what kind of vehicle you drive, what kind of appliance you can purchase, what type of zero emission technology we can use to produce electricity (no mention of nuclear power at all). Rather than going on and on about this, you can find the actual goals in presentations from NYSAC or the law online.
No one can argue that the climate is not changing. In the 4 plus billion years of the earth’s history, the climate was and is always changing. Fairly recently in the earth’s history, there were rainforests throughout Alaska, Canada, and the Middle East, which left us with trillions of gallons of fossil fuels. The Sahara Desert was once a vast sea, as evidenced by fossil records.
The largest concerns with these laws are the ramifications to life within NY versus effectiveness. If these measures work, how will we know. New York represents .25% of the world population and a miniscule percentage of the global CO2 output. The US is currently shipping millions of tons of coal to China, who is building coal fired plants at an amazing rate. Do we think Chairman Xi will change if we do? The answer is certainly no.
The office where I am working today was under over a mile of glacial ice at least three times, probably more. The last Ice Age ended 20,000 years ago and we are still in a warming period due to that natural cycle. Now the question is, what are the effects of this, what percentage is due to human beings living on the earth and what can New York State do to reverse, mitigate, or slow the change. That is certainly up for debate. One concern is the rise of sea levels. What has intrigued me is that sea level rise is not happening according to accepted man-made climate change models. It hasn’t, so why not. Because we are ignoring a very important phenomena that occurs during the cycle of glacial periods. When the ice melts, the crust under the ice rises, because it is elastic. New York State rose very rapidly after the ice sheet receded and has continued (albeit at a slower rate) in North America. Today we are around 1cm per year. In Finland, for example, the total area of the country is growing by about 7 KM2 per year. The geological term is “glacial isostatic adjustment.” Where I, and many of our fellow New Yorkers, should be concerned are the plans in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) that hope to combat climate change. Between 1990 and 2016 NY naturally reduced CO2 emissions by over 20%, due mainly to increased natural gas usage and we continue to see reductions.
54
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
So how will the “global” carbon footprint look over the next decade? If you drive a business out of New York that cannot compete globally, the production will move to China and the global carbon footprint will, in the long term, increase. What should we do as a community, state and nation moving forward? I believe we should first calm down and not think that we can build a thermostat to control the world in 2021. We also should accept that there are things outside of our control. Humans have adapted for thousands of years and we will be able to also. Some changes in our environment will be for the better, some will be challenging. Let’s spend money on infrastructure to alleviate as much as possible and create an environment in which our lives are better. Solar, wind, tidal generators, and battery technology will get better. Other technologies will arise that make power, transportation, and home lives more efficient, cheaper, and more plentiful. Let the technology evolve, don’t force it. Hey, one day you might be able fill your household cold fusion reactor with water and power everything you need.
Help is on the way for governments and agencies at the state and local level! The American Rescue Plan Act brings significant relief to a sector hit particularly hard throughout the pandemic. And with relief, comes increased regulation. PKF O’Connor Davies has more than 60 years of experience in assisting the public sector maintain compliance with the complexities of federal program requirements and ensuring that internal controls are ready for the heightened demands. The PKF O’Connor Davies Public Sector Team. Know greater service. Know greater strategy. Know greater confidence. Nicholas DeSantis, Partner David Gannon, Partner Scott Oling, Partner 914-421-5600
pkfod.com
Better. Together.
ENDORSED BY:
The only PBM headquartered in New York State
Your Fully Integrated Pharmacy Benefit Manager
u Call us today for a customized solution for your pharmacy benefit plan: (888) 254–3552 u Learn more at: proactrx.com
County Administrators and Managers Lead Through COVID and Beyond By Shaun Groden, Greene County Administrator, and President of the New York State County Administrators and Managers Association
I
t’s a little-known fact that when it comes to county governments in New York, there are three distinctly different forms of governance structure:
1. Charter counties with an elected executive or appointed administrative official, 2. Counties with an appointed administrator or manager, and 3. Counties organized under county law operating under the administration of the county legislative body. Most counties—33, in fact—operate with an appointed administrator or manager that manages the overall operations of their county governments. They oversee the day-to-day administration of the county and work closely with the county board chair, the standing committees of the county board, the members of the legislative body, and each county department to ensure coordination of county government. While each county administrator or manager has unique responsibilities based on priorities of their legislative body and needs of their communities, we all have common concerns as well. As our counties approach the close of 2021 and plan for 2022, here are some of the issues that are at the top of our lists.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Throughout the past year and a half our county administrators and managers have worked hard with our local health departments, emergency managers, mental health directors to protect our residents from the novel coronavirus. We worked with our department heads and county employees to ensure that critical programs and services continued to get delivered to the best of our ability through this time, even as the state reduced local aid by 20 percent through the pandemic. We worked closely with our local health department to deploy testing sites, recruit and train contact tracers, and set up vaccination PODs. 56
NYSAC News | Fall 2021
American Rescue Plan The last 18 months have stretched county resources thin. The days have been long and county administrators and managers worked with their elected leaders and departments to ensure essential services were provided to everyone in need. A major priority last year was to work with county elected leadership, state officials and our congressional delegation to ensure special federal COVID assistance was provided to help address direct county public health and safety needs. In addition, it was critically important to work to ensure these federal resources were available to rebuild our local economies as many small and even large businesses struggled to stay open during lockdowns and ongoing restrictions. It took a full year of nonstop advocacy, but we prevailed in securing over $2 billion in direct aid to the counties through the American Rescue Plan. County administrators and managers have been working diligently to ensure these onetime, but transformational federal funds are invested in the most effective way.
County Budget In most cases, county administrators and managers act as the budget officer of the county or provide direct oversight of the budget officer. This includes preparing the budget recommendations for county legislative or supervisor review, adoption and then implementing and managing the budget throughout the year. Budget development requires direct coordination with many county departments to ascertain expected current year revenues and future projections. Property tax forms the core of many counties’ revenue base, with sales tax rising in importance and size, as it is the key local revenue source that can help reduce pressure on property taxes.
This whole process repeats itself on the expenditure side as budget preparation and day-to-day management requires regular monitoring and partnership with county departments, the state, and even federal officials to ensure promised resources and assistance are delivered to the county.
Local Infrastructure Environment
and
Do you drive to work? Maybe you take mass transit? County administrators and managers oversee county highway or public works departments and their employees who work to maintain and periodically rebuild the roads and bridges you travel on in the county. We also make sure that our local airports are ready to provide commercial and general aviation services. Some of our counties also own, operate, and maintain their own mass transit systems and fleets, which we are now starting to transition from gas-powered to electric vehicles.
Health, Human Service, and Public Safety Administration Unique to New York State, our administrators and managers have the responsibility of overseeing a complex set of state-mandated health and human service programs. This includes contributing billions of dollars in local revenue to fund the State’s Medicaid Program. Counties are also responsible for providing child support, visitation, custody and paternity petitions; and helping families in need access emergency services, including housing, food stamps, day care and heating and cooling assistance. We also investigate domestic violence allegations and ensure the safe placement of at-risk children in appropriate foster care or supportive housing. In recent years we have seen dramatic changes to our criminal justice system, with new state laws raising the age of criminal responsibility, eliminating bail in most cases, and coordinating reforms to policing in communities across the state. These new state laws have significantly increased the number of cases in our probation departments and reduced our jail population, impacting staffing and oversight in both of these areas of county government. Within a county local health department, the environmental health unit is responsible for conducting health and safety inspections of swimming pools, summer camps, beaches, and other recreational venues. The environmental health units are also responsible for monitoring and testing the safety of community water supplies and testing for lead in homes of children identified as having potential exposure to lead poisoning.
Employee Supervision Management
and
County administrators and managers work closely with department heads to oversee employee relations, including negotiating contracts with union bargaining units, and vetting health insurance coverage and various other benefit programs. Accordingly, the county administrator is in charge of the day-to-day supervision of hundreds if not thousands of county employees. This mission was put to the test throughout the pandemic, as it was the county administrator or manager who needed to label and manage essential and non-essential employees, transitioning to remote work. While this was challenging considering the number of services that were necessary to continue, we all made it work by understanding our employment team, working with the unions, and finding the right balance of who and how employees could work from home and who needed to be in the field in the safest manner possible.
Intermunicipal Affairs Shared Service Panels
and
County administrators and managers are often also the main point of contact for working with the cities, towns, and villages inside our counties’ borders. Historically, counties have worked with our municipal partners to identify programs and services that we can more effectively provide together. County administrators were written into the State’s County-Wide Shared Services law as the convener of our local government panels to facilitate the development of intergovernmental sharing programs and services, and now that that law has been extended, we will be continuing to lead this process for the next several years. New York’s counties are at a turning point. A persistent COVID pandemic that refuses to recede quietly, volatile county revenue streams and historic federal investment all present challenges and opportunities for local governments. As county administrators and managers, it will be up to us to ensure that as counties rebuild, they don’t just return to normal, but return stronger, more innovative, and more efficient than before.
As county administrators and managers, it will be up to us to ensure that as counties rebuild, they don’t just return to normal, but return stronger, more innovative, and more efficient than before.
NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
57
KNOWLEDGE OF MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS
S
g Yo u Si n
ud
c
93
Pro
19
RISK MANAGEMENT
e
y
in v r e
l
CUSTOMER SERVICE
R I M Y N
ty i r o i pr p o t our s i ty i l a p ci i n u m r u yo g
n i r u s In
w York State Ne
Since oc
ie
s
A
ss
ia t
io n of C o u
nt
www.NYMIR.org
Expand Your Access Ready to work outside the box? Contact us now to discover how our Total Collection Solution (TCS) will unlock a whole new world of working conditions for you and your staff.
sales@systemseast.com | (607) 753-6156
515 Broadway, Suite 402 Albany, NY 12207
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ALBANY, NY PERMIT # 695
Clean Energy is Local Energy In 2013, MEGA partnered with Gravity Renewables to explore opportunities to reinvest in New York’s existing clean energy infrastructure. Since then, our innovative program has resulted in millions of dollars in savings for our members and in reinvestment in hydropower projects that will benefit local communities for generations. MEGA’s partnership with Gravity Renewables is one example of how clean energy strengthens communities, creating opportunities for • Job Creation • Recreation • Historic Preservation • Educational Outreach • Emissions Reductions
Tompkins County purchased clean power from Gravity Renewable’s Waterloo hydroelectric powerhouse to meet its municipal electricity demand. The partnership enabled reinvestment in the circa-1910 facility which is critical to the local community and management of Seneca Lake water levels. Here Tompkins County and State officials celebrated the rededication of Waterloo’s powerhouse as the Stu Stein Powerhouse, in honor of Stu Stein, a New York clean energy visionary.
