BILL NUMBER: S4745

SPONSOR: CLEARE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act requiring the authorities budget office to conduct a study on the
financial effects of making local governments responsible for upkeep in
public areas immediately outside of properties owned or leased by public
authorities; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expi-
ration thereof

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this legislation is to identify the fiscal impacts on
local governments of sidewalk upkeep.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 requires the director of the authorities budget office to
conduct a comprehensive study analyzing the financial impact on local
governments being responsible for the upkeep in public areas immediately
outside of properties owned or leased by public authorities.
              

Section 2 directs the director of authorities budget office to act in
conjunction with various agencies to get data and information that will
assist in the completion of this study.

Section 3 requires the director or the authorities budget office to
publish such study to the Governor, Temporary President of the Senate,
Speaker of the Assembly, and chairs of both Labor Committees of the
Senate and Assembly.

Section 4 sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The MTA and New York City have been in a long-standing dispute over the
responsibility of sidewalk maintenance and repair. This back and forth
finger-pointing has meant sidewalks have been left in disrepair. Fixes
typically are made when sidewalk repair is an ancillary part of another
capital project, typically conducted by the City of New York.

For constituents, this distinction is the source of frustration because
ultimately it is their tax dollars that would be spent for maintenance
and repairs, but they still must contend with sidewalks that are danger-
ous or unusable, especially for people with disabilities and families
with strollers. For New Yorkers, these bureaucratic disputes over who
does the maintenance and repair should be the least of their concern.
They deserve safe sidewalks and walkable neighborhoods.

This legislation will require the authorities budget office to conduct a
comprehensive study on the fiscal impacts on local governments should
they be responsible for sidewalk upkeep in public areas owned or leased
by public authorities. The results of this study will ascertain the
anticipated fiscal costs associated with directing local government and
their agencies to include these repairs and maintenance in their respon-
sibilities, if they can be absorbed into existing resources, and what
additional resources may be necessary to accomplish this task.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed
repealed January 1, 2027.