Press Release:

County officials from across the state this week honored five of their peers for graduating with a certificate from the County Government Institute. The Institute, founded in 2004, is part of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC). 

The graduates included:

• Tammi Ferringer, Deputy County Manager, Genesee County
• Anthony J. Nemi, Legislator, Niagara County
• Elizabeth Partee, County Supervisor, Seneca County
• Lou Anne Randall, Director of Finance, Madison County
• Paul Ruszkiewicz, Legislator, Orange County

The graduation was held during the 2024 NYSAC Legislative Conference in Albany County, in a ceremony honoring the county officials for upholding the pillars of leadership, accountability, and integrity at their graduation ceremony from the County Government Institute.

“CGI has been instrumental in helping me stay current on a broad array of issues and topics that go right to the nuts and bolts of local government operations,” said Anthony J. Nemi. “I am convinced that CGI has made a more effective legislator for those I represent.” 

The County Government Institute is an educational program in partnership with Cornell University. CGI instructors are NYSAC staff, county leaders, and Cornell faculty members who are experts in local government structure and issues. County leaders who graduate from CGI have earned a certification that demonstrates their dedication to good government and to upholding CGI’s high standards of county leadership.

“The County Government Institute’s comprehensive curriculum prepares county officials with the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the intense demands of local government today,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario.

The Institute's curriculum includes extensive course work on government ethics, building consensus in a political environment, principles of county budget and finance, and public sector labor/management relations. The courses are supplemented with electives, training sessions, and continuing education courses.

“The wide range of topics and chance to meet with colleagues from around New York State oftentimes give me a new perspective on an issue we may be facing,” said Lou Anne Randall. “We need to continue to encourage others to take advantage of the great resource we have in NYSAC. 

“The County Government Institute is an outstanding program that has helped me to more effectively perform my duties as a County Legislator,” said Paul Ruszkiewicz.

Courses are offered at all NYSAC conferences, and regionally throughout the year, to enable county leaders to stay up to date on timely issues and opportunities in local government. The knowledge and skills gained through CGI will serve county officials throughout their time in public service and beyond.   

“By completing the County Government Institute coursework, graduates demonstrate a commitment to excellence in local government that is at the heart of our association’s mission,” said NYSAC President Daniel P. McCoy. “The skills and knowledge they acquire are a great asset to them and the communities they serve. On behalf of our entire association, I offer my congratulations.”  

For more information about the County Government Institute, visit www.nysac.org/cgi or reach out to Chancey Young, NYSAC Member Information Manager via email at cyoung@nysac.org.

A quick glance around Deputy County Manager Tammi Ferringer’s office gives the impression of a light-hearted, whimsical air, with upbeat quotes on the wall from Dr. Seuss to author Erin Hanson, a mischievous elf devilishly hanging upside down near the window and other unpretentious decor dotting the shelves.

Yet this administrator -- a longtime county employee of more than 18 years --  has taken her career and job duties seriously while shying away from the limelight. So when her boss, County Manager Matt Landers, publicly congratulates her for a job well done in completing the necessary course work for a certificate from the state Association of Counties and Cornell University, it’s worth noting.

That’s the message Genesee County legislators likely will be sending to Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Assembly and Senate next week through a resolution that calls for Albany to end the practice of taking local sales tax revenue from communities and putting it into the state’s treasury.

The legislature’s Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday passed the measure – sending it to the full board for consideration at next Wednesday's meeting.

Genesee County is taking action in conjunction with a directive from the New York State Association of Counties for municipalities to make their voices heard.

“This has been proposed before, but I guess NYSAC is trying to hone in on the fact that they weren’t hearing enough from localities – that we weren’t making enough noise,” Ways & Means Chair Marianne Clattenburg said.

According to the resolution, since 2019, New York State has diverted more than $677 million in local sales taxes away from cities, towns and villages and into the state’s general fund.

It reads, in part, that “local sales tax revenue should stay in the community where it is collected.  It is time to return to responsible budgeting to keep local tax revenue in the communities where it can fund local programs such as parks, community colleges, meals for seniors, day care services, 9-1-1 programs, mental health and addiction services and other quality life programs.”

The resolution calls for this practice “to expire permanently at the end of this fiscal year as originally intended.”

In other action, the committee approved:

• Appointments of C. Joseph Mahler and Thomas Clark, both of Batavia, and Peter Stanbridge of Bethany, to three-year terms on the Genesee County Parks, Recreation and Forestry Advisory Committee.

• A contract not to exceed $213,268 with U&S Services of Tonawanda for a countywide heating, ventilation and air conditioning control system upgrade. The amount is slightly less than the $225,000 that has been budgeted for this project.

• Two resolutions pertaining to the replacement of the South Street culvert over a drainage ditch in the Village of Le Roy. The first to establish the capital project, which will be covered by state aid of $757,410 and the second is to contract with Lu Engineers of Rochester for consulting and design services at a cost not to exceed $174,000, which is part of the state’s contribution.

Genesee County leaders are urging the New York State Legislature to pass various legislative items as part of a statewide effort on behalf of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC).

“These are pretty straight forward and common-sense items that the state legislature should pass before it adjourns,” said Genesee County Chair Shelley Stein. “We urge our state legislative representatives Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Senator Ed Rath to encourage their colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass these measures.

"At the end of the day, these items would help local governments like Genesee County be even more efficient in the stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

The items identified by NYSAC include:

• A bill that has passed the New York State Senate that would create a task force to study the aid and incentives for municipalities (AIM) formula;
• Legislation that would cap the rate of interest to be paid on judgments and accrued claims tied to the rate of interest to the maturity treasury yield as published by the federal reserve. Ultimately, this legislation helps counties pay lower/capped interest rates on judgements;
• New legislation that would provide all counties in New York State with the same flexibility regarding investment options that the five counties that comprise the New York City metropolitan region. For instance, counties would be authorized to invest in additional types of products, such as general obligation bonds and notes of any state other than New York;
• A long sought-after bill that would raise the age of juvenile delinquent offenses from age 7 to age 12; the bill would create “differential response programs” for children under the age of 12 whose behavior but for their age would bring them within the jurisdiction of the family court in an effort to prevent future interaction with the juvenile justice system; and,
• A repeal of a provision excluding kindergartens, prekindergartens, or nursery schools for children 3 years of age or older, or after-school programs for children operated by a public school district or by a private school or academy, which is providing elementary or secondary education or both from the definition of child day care.

“While these are all important items that we support passage of, the creation of a task force to redesign the aid and incentives for municipalities would be very helpful as the redirection of County sales tax proceeds to cover these payments to municipalities has negatively impacted the County Budget,” said Genesee County Manager Matt Landers. 

In addition to the legislative items identified by NYSAC, Genesee County is urging State lawmakers to pass a critical piece of home rule legislation that allows for the proper accounting of voluntary revenue distribution payments to Genesee County towns with villages located in their boundary.

“This necessary legislation will ensure taxpayers in our Towns aren’t negatively impacted from what amounts to an accounting treatment that needs to be updated,” Landers continued.

“Local leaders have been working closely with Senator Ed Rath and Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, who have been 100-percent supportive of the legislation, but are still waiting to see if Albany will allow Genesee County to manage its own resources as we deem necessary.”

On this International Women’s Day, the New York State Association of Counties announced the adoption of a resolution recognizing the extraordinary contributions made by women throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution highlights the leading role that women play as leaders of public health, essential services and as mothers, teachers and caregivers.

Read the resolution here.

“The story of the COVID-19 pandemic is largely a story of women," said Marte Saurbrey, Tioga County Chair and NYSAC President-Elect. "Sixty percent of county health officials in New York State and 90 percent of nurses and nursing assistants around the country are women. These public health heroes are the tip of the spear in the fight against this deadly virus and their skill and leadership has been critical to our efforts to end the pandemic.

"Additionally, we can’t forget the millions of women who served their communities as caregivers and essential workers during the pandemic. Their personal and professional sacrifice to their families and communities has made the difference in holding our society together during the last year and we owe them an immense debt of gratitude."

Martha Robertson, Tompkins County Legislature, said: “Women have been holding us all together during the pandemic. They are essential workers of all kinds: postal service, grocery, and childcare workers, first responders, teachers, as well as medical workers and of course mothers! With the vast majority of childcare and other-dependent care falling on women, the economic effects of the recession are compounding the health effects of the pandemic on women; their strength and perseverance in the face of these challenges need to be recognized."

NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario said: “This pandemic has challenged every aspect of our society in ways that most of us never thought possible and every step of the way, women have been rising to meet those new challenges and lead the way through this pandemic. Whether it’s county public health officials and essential workers on the front lines of the pandemic, or mothers and daughters at home teaching their kids or caring for parents, women have been the glue holding our communities together this year more than ever before.”

The resolution was put forward by the NYSAC Women’s Leadership Coalition, a bipartisan organization that offers resources specifically for women in county government and women interested in pursuing county leadership.

The resolution was part of the 30 policy resolutions in 12 issue areas, which will help guide NYSAC’s advocacy for the duration of the legislative session. View the resolutions here: www.nysac.org/resolutions.

The New York State Association of Counties today (Feb. 22) released their 2021-2022 Executive State Budget scorecard.

It highlights key issues that impact counties and notes items that counties actively support or seek to change in the final enacted budget.

“While we still have a long way to go before we get to a final budget, the proposal by the Governor this week is a good first step on several key priorities for counties,” said NYSAC President and Ontario County Board Chair Jack Marren.

“Over the coming months we’ll continue to work with state leaders to ensure local governments have the resources and flexibility they need to finish the fight against COVID-19 and provide essential services to our residents while protecting local taxpayers.”

NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario said “The budget proposed by Governor Cuomo this week incorporates numerous proposals put forth by county leaders over the last several months as we sought to work constructively with the state.

“We’re particularly encouraged by provisions which reimburse state funds, grant local sales tax permanency, allow for shared jails and jail staffing flexibility, provide revenue from recreation cannabis, and a host of other changes that help counties increase program efficiencies.

"We do, however, have concerns around issues like the diversion of local sales taxes and cuts to VLT aid, about which we will continue to engage with state leaders.”

NYSAC is committed to communicating the needs and recommendations of county officials as State lawmakers negotiate the next year’s spending plan.

Learn more about the 2021-22 State Budget and the impact on counties at www.nysac.org/nysbudget.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley weighed in on this situation, calling it "shameful" that the state is holding these funds that are "earmarked and due to our counties to be used for public safety locally."

Hawley said he sent a letter to Gov. Cuomo on Oct. 20 asking him to release all funds for the PSAP Operations and SICG initiatives that were authorized through the 2019-20 fiscal year budget and "ensure that future authorizations are released in full in the budget year they are appropriated."

"It’s similar to the governor withholding funds for snowmobile trail maintenance and grooming," Hawley said today. "These funds have nothing to do with the state, and they are not tax money."

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Did you know that New York State collects $1.20 every month as a public safety communications surcharge on your cell phone bill?

Maybe not, but Byron resident Steven Sharpe of Byron is aware of it and he believes that it’s time for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to release the millions of dollars in grant funding set aside for dispatchers and first responders to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities.

“I am surprised that during a pandemic Governor Cuomo is not releasing PSAP Operations (9-1-1 Center) or Statewide Interoperability Communications Grant funds, but instead we are spending $11 million on car charging stations,” said Sharpe, referring to a Nov. 12 article on The Batavian about the state’s plan to underwrite a network of fast charging stations to support wider adoption of electric vehicles.

Sharpe said the PSAP Operations grant is $10 million spread across all county 9-1-1 systems statewide, and the SICG is $45 million statewide to fund public safety radio system maintenance and upgrades for first responders, such as police, fire, emergency management services, hospital ambulance staff and county health departments for use at COVID-19 testing stations.

“New York State is claiming they can't release the grant funds because of budgetary crunches, but the revenues for these grants come from the $1.20 they collect from every cellular device on your monthly bills,” Sharpe said. “Those revenues are still being collected by the state; they are just not distributing the money according to the law.

The law that Sharpe referred to is the New York Consolidated Laws, Tax Law, Section 186-f regarding the public safety communications surcharge.

Per the law, the surcharge of $1.20 – actually a user tax – is imposed on each wireless communications device in service during any part of the month. This surcharge is reflected on the monthly bill.

Paragraph (c) of the law stipulates that up to $75 million of the money collected from this surcharge is to be used for support public safety communications systems and first responders.

The $10 million PSAP Operations grant and $45 million SICG are funded from this stream of money, according to Sharpe, who added that officials of the New York State Association of Counties, New York State 9-1-1 coordinators, and New York State Emergency Management Association have sent letters “pleading with the governor to release these funds.”

“This is a bipartisan issue – not a Republican, Independent or Democrat issue -- but it seems to be going nowhere,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe said the state is taking in more than $200 million annually from the surcharge, with only about 30 cents of the $1.20 being used to fund the grants. He said that this pool of money is separate from funds earmarked for the state’s general budget and that Albany has no legal right to divert it.

He said that the NYS 911 Coordinators Association (of which he is a member) applauds the Federal Communication Commission’s inquiry into New York’s fee diversion practices.

In its letter to the FCC, association officers wrote that the state “diverts critical revenues away from organizations that perform lifesaving work into the General Fund with no accountability as to how the revenues are spent or allocated. Past requests using Freedom of Information Law have yielded little information as to how the State uses funds taken from consumers.”

Sharpe said that the money is needed now, more than ever, with COVID-19 continuing to make its presence felt in society.

“As much as people want to say that COVID hurt us, COVID did not hurt this revenue stream,” Sharpe said. “COVID may have increased this revenue stream because more and more people are using online services and cell phones now to get to work and for work. Local surcharge revenues have not dropped off at all during the pandemic.”

He said the law requires this money to be used for a specific purpose and that the state is not following its own statute.

“What are they doing with it? Perhaps they're making interest on it or they’re paying their other bills, but that’s not what the law says they’re supposed to do with the money,” he said. "Honestly, no one knows what they're doing with it." 

The law was enacted to not only fund public safety communications but also to help counties with their budgeting process, Sharpe said.

“It’s based on the number of users on the system. So, this actually helps local taxpayers and local municipalities stay under the tax cap,” he said. “If Cuomo doesn’t release these funds, where does the shortfall come from? It has to come from the county’s general fund, or worse, the county can say we can’t do things.”

Previous story: Cuomo announces funds to build fast charging stations, first-round applications due by Feb. 18

“No update has been received by the Genesee County Manager’s Office regarding state reimbursements of mandated expenses,” County Manager Matt Landers said last night.

Municipalities were expecting to receive an update regarding state funding from Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sept. 30, one of the governor’s predetermined “benchmarks” to evaluate and inform localities of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon New York’s economy.

Until he hears something different, Landers said Genesee County is “still planning for 20-percent reductions in state reimbursements for both county fiscal years 2020 and 2021.”

The county, towns and fire districts have fiscal years that run from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.

Villages’ fiscal years run from June 1 through May 31, except Alexander, which runs from April 1 through March 31. The City of Batavia’s fiscal year is also April 1 through March 31.

Landers and officials in other counties have been supported by repeated calls from the New York State Association of Counties for the White House and Congressional leaders to reach an agreement on a coronavirus stimulus package that would provide direct aid to local governments.

NYSAC’s latest plea to pass an updated HEROES (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions) Act came on Thursday following its virtual Fall Seminar.

In its press release, NYSAC stated that an analysis of the modified $2.2 trillion HEROES Act -- which was moved by leaders in the House of Representatives this week and is still in the midst of negotiations – reveals that counties across the state would receive nearly $3 billion in federal stimulus.

“Every day that passes without a deal on direct aid to local governments, the deeper the economic hole that is being dug in our communities,” said NYSAC President John F. Marren. “Local governments stepped up and expended great resources to stop the spread of the virus and now, with state aid being withheld and revenue collection down, counties are being forced to cut services and lay off employees, which only depresses the economy further. It’s time for Washington to get behind a plan and get this done for the American people.”

The NYSAC report also indicated that through the Community Development Block Grant program, entitlement communities across New York State -- municipalities over 50,000 in population – would receive about $2.4 billion.

Other, smaller cities and localities, would receive $2.2 billion, and New York City, which has half of the state’s 19 million people, would receive $5.35 billion.

The House’s latest version of the HEROES Act is $1.2 trillion less than what Democrats proposed in May, and includes direct payments to individuals and families, and enhanced unemployment benefits.

The issue of sending funds to states and municipalities is one of the sticking points, but reportedly has the support of the Trump administration in the amount of $250 billion.

County Manager Matt Landers on Tuesday said that he and former manager Jay Gsell submitted a few suggestions to NYSAC, which then created the report, "Reforming and Re-imagining Government Service Delivery Part I: Overcoming the Current State-Local Budget Crisis," and forwarded it on to the NYS Division of Budget.

“I participated with adding a few things to that,” said Landers, also noting that Gsell sent in some suggestions as well prior to retiring last month.

Landers said that he offered the idea of excluding payment in lieu of taxes agreements from the tax cap formula.

“It’s a numbers-driven one, shocking that came from me being a CPA, and Jay put in a couple other ones that I agreed with, such as a state takeover of Medicaid,” he said.

From the report, under the Property Tax Cap heading, Landers’ submission reads as follows:

Exclude PILOT agreements from the tax cap formula. To encourage economic growth in their communities, counties often include a PILOT agreement as a means for a new revenue stream – typically on a parcel of land which has not been generating tax revenue for the county. However, the benefits of a PILOT agreement quickly disappeared after the property tax cap was established because governments are required to reduce their property tax levy by the value of the new PILOT agreements. Excluding PILOTs from the tax cap formula would aid counties in raising revenue, while also incentivizing economic growth and prosperity.

Landers said the idea to have New York State take over the Medicaid program came from Gsell, who consistently pointed out the heavy burden of the state-mandated program upon counties.

From the report, under the Medicaid heading:

The State must complete the takeover of the administration of the Medicaid program from local districts as required under the law. Counties have downsized their Medicaid administrative operations as part of the process so far, but the state continues to layer more responsibility for administering the most complex parts of the Medicaid program on counties. The state’s objective was to reduce costs through improved efficiency by consolidating the administration at the state level, while also ensuring greater uniformity in the administration of Medicaid, which can only be fully accomplished if the takeover is completed.

Gsell also submitted action regarding county jails, which aligns with Genesee’s proposal to join forces with Orleans County on a new jail:

Allow and incentivize shared county jails. Change NYS statute, Commission on Corrections restraints and use shared services dollars to enhance net savings of counties sharing a jail.

The report contains recommendations across various sectors, including county sales tax actions, property tax cap, cannabis legalization, borrowing authority, thruway tolls, community colleges, environment, gaming, Medicaid, public health, personnel/labor, public safety, social services and transportation/infrastructure.

In a press release, NYSAC leaders said the report includes “recommended actions submitted by county leaders across the state as a means to preserve county services in the face of massive declines in local revenues and the withholding of state aid.”

“The recommendations include programmatic reforms to lower costs at both the state and local level, the creation of a Blue Ribbon Commission to Redesign State-Local Service Delivery (which was supported by Genesee County), short-term revenue options, temporary bonding authority, and property tax cap flexibility,” they said.

The state Division of Budget administrators are exploring mid-year cuts to localities, NYSAC said, and are starting to develop budget recommendations for the 2022 State Fiscal Year.

NYSAC indicated that the report could be a useful tool for state legislators when they return to Albany to consider “additional relief legislation to aid counties and other entities in COVID-19 response efforts.”

NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario emphasized that county governments across the state have worked diligently to cut costs over the past six months.

“When this pandemic first swept across the state, local governments stepped up with innovative solutions to manage a crisis that none of us were prepared for,” he said. “Now counties are providing the essential services that New Yorkers depend on during this recession, and we need the state to consider these recommendations to help us address the lack of revenue and their budget cuts.”

Hoping that the bill offered on Monday by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is “dead on arrival,” Gsell took the GOP to task for failing to include funds to help financially strapped municipalities such as Genesee County.

“They just left the realm of local governments and even additional resources for states on the outside with the idea that apparently they want to keep waiting to see what the economy will do … all across the country, not just in New York State,” he said.

The $1 trillion Health, Economic Assistance, Liability protection, and Schools Act, or HEALS Act, is the Senate’s answer to the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, or HEROES Act, that was passed by House Democrats in May.

Gsell believes the stimulus package (the fifth since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March) will likely be the last economic rescue package prior to the November presidential election.

“This Senate bill and the House of Representative bill are diametrical ends of the spectrum … and hopefully (they’ll meet) somewhere in the middle to get bipartisan support in both chambers to get this thing done by August 7^th,” Gsell said. “Once they come back in September, they may put anything else in terms of fed stim off past the election and maybe not even then.”

Gsell said states and local governments are facing significant losses in revenue from several sectors, primarily sales tax, but also from hotel bed tax and gaming distributions. He took exception to a provision in the HEALS Act that calls for the construction of a new FBI building in the nation’s capital.

“It is insulting that there is money in this bill to build a new FBI building in Washington, D.C.,” he said. “Where does that come out with what should be a federal stimulus bill?"

Reportedly, money for a new FBI headquarters was put in the bill at the request of the Trump administration.

“The economic dislocation is still significant. For what happened yesterday, to pretend that that’s not the case, to me is both disingenuous but also shows a lack of understanding of what’s going on with regard to the national economy and what’s going on with local governments,” Gsell said.

According to the latest report from the New York Association of Counties, the state’s counties and New York City could lose up to $13.5 billion in revenue in 2020 and 2021, a situation that could result in cuts to services and permanent layoffs.

NYSAC projects a $4.9-billion loss in sales tax in the next two fiscal years in light of unemployment soaring to 13 percent (up from 4 percent in 2019) as well as an 80-percent decrease in hotel occupancy taxes and the uncertainty surrounding the reopening of gaming sites across the state.

Furthermore, NYSAC forecasts that state reimbursement cuts of at least 20 percent will cost counties outside of New York City more than $670 million a year.

While acknowledging that the NYSAC figures are worse-case scenarios, Gsell said Genesee County officials are “looking at it from the standpoint of what have we experienced so far in the quarters of sales tax payments that we have seen since the beginning of this calendar year” and hope for federal support.

“If the McConnell bill somehow survives, and I hope to gosh it doesn’t, that will engender the State of New York to start doing across the board 20-percent cuts, if even that low percentage wise, in state reimbursements to county governments and other local governments,” he said. “That’s when some of the numbers you’re seeing here (in the NYSAC report) could be visited upon a county like Genesee in our budget. That’s why the governor has yet to institute his across the board reimbursements that he was given the power to do when the state budget was adopted.”