Senator Steve Saland Announces Local Government Efficiency Grant Program

Counties, cities, towns and villages, as well as library districts, water authorities, sewer authorities, regional planning and development boards, special improvement districts, fire districts, school districts, and in certain instances, boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES) are all eligible to apply. Grant money is available for entities that agree to share services by entering into cooperative agreements, mergers, consolidations or dissolutions.

Types of grants available include: High Priority Planning Grants, General Efficiency Planning Grants, Efficiency Implementation Grants and 21st Century Demonstration Grants. Each type of grant has a different deadline, with the earliest being October 8, 2008. Fifteen technical assistance workshops are presently being held throughout the state to outline the newest features and application process for the LGE grant program.

“Sharing services and improving efficiency just makes sense in this age of rising taxes and energy costs,” said Senator Saland. “This grant program helps local governments and school districts reduce costs by consolidating services and finding efficiencies in their operations. I encourage all entities who may be eligible for this grant program to go to the NYS Department of State’s website as soon as possible for further information.”

Applications, instructions and the workshop schedule are available at: http://www.dos.state.ny.us/lgss/.