Reports of Interest

Local Government Structures

• Outdated Municipal Structures:  Cities, Towns and Villages – 18th Century Designations for 21st Century Communities
• Upstate New York: A House Divided
• The Evolution of New York State’s Local Government System
• Case Study: A Tale of Two Suburbs
• Report on the Local Government Restructuring Project
• Note on Theories of Local Government
• Local Government Handbook
• Legal Framework for Providing Local Government Services
• 21st Century State Aid Formulas: Revenue Sharing
• Annexation and Village//Town Options for Rye Neck: Fiscal and Operational Implications for the Village of Mamaroneck
• Constitutional Considerations in Local Government Reform
• Fire Protection in New York State
• Layering of Local Governments & City-County Mergers
• Local Public Health Administration
• Local Economic Development
• Municipal Civil Service Commissions
• Number of Local Governments
• Public Library Service
• Vital Statistics Registration Districts

• Consolidation, Dissolution and Annexation of Towns and Villages
  • How To Guide
  • Brochure
• Consolidate Fire Protection in Fire Districts, Fire Protection Districts and Villages
  • How To Guide
  • Brochure
• Plan for the Dissolution of Speculator
• Village of Pike Dissolution Study
• The Consolidation of Local Government: Assessing the Service and Financial Implications of the Village of Fillmore Dissolution
• Implications of a Village Dissolution: Cherry Creek Consolidation Feasibility Analysis
• Wellsville Town-Village Municipal Study Final Report: Discussion of Organization Form Option, Joint Budget and Service Delivery Summary with Recommendations for Action
• North Hornell Municipal Options Study
• Strategic Government Consolidation (Onondaga County)
• Village of Macedon Dissolution Study
• Consolidation of Local Governmental Services: A Guide to the Rights of Civil Service Employees
• City-Town Consolidation and the Surrounding Legal Issues
• Consolidation Procedures
• County Dissolution
• Municipal Consolidation and Collective Bargaining
• Observations from Three City-Town Groups in Upstate New York
• Potential Opportunities for Sharing or Merging Program Services for the Town and Village of Liberty (10/08)
• Albion-Albion-Gaines Consolidation Overview (12/08)
• Village & Town of Seneca Falls Consolidation Study (12/08)
• Lake George Dissolution Resident Survey (12/08)
• City-Town of Batavia Merger Study: Next Steps (1/09)

• Making Government Work: Intergovernmental Cooperation, Partnering and Consolidation in New York State
• Intermunicipal Cooperation and Consolidation: Exploring Opportunities for Savings and Improved Service Delivery
• Intergovernmental Cooperation
• Municipal Cooperation and Consolidation: Mapping Albany County
• Intermunicipal Cooperation & Consolidation Activities in New York State: A Snapshot
• Government Law & Policy Journal: Shared Municipal Services
• Sharing Services and Saving Tax Dollars: A Senate Report on Intermunicipal Agreements
• Local Government Management Guide: Intermunicipal Cooperation
• Sample Intermunicipal Agreements
• Guide to Successful Local Government Collaboration in America’s Regions
• Intergovernmental Collaboration in Context: Lessons From a Reading of Thirteen Case Studies
• Thinking Beyond Municipal Boundaries - Cost Reduction Opportunities (Buffalo)
• Analyzing Service Delivery Options: Town of Portland and Village of Brocton, New York
• Town of Portland and Village of Brockton Case Study
• Municipal Service Alternatives: Villages of Carthage and West Carthage, New York
• Town of Lancaster and Villages of Lancaster and Depew Case Study
• Town and Village of Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck School District - Cooperative Services Case Study
• Long Islanders Aim High to Reduce Taxes and Support Many Cost Cutting Measures
• Partnering for Tourism in the Southtowns of Erie County
• Small Town Lawyer
• A Study of Shared Service Opportunities for the Village and Town of Cobleskill, NY, July, 2008
• Strengthening Criminal Justice Practices in Chemung County, NY
• Cooperative Health Insurance Purchasing
• Shared Services
• Tax Base Sharing
• Regional and County Jails
• Village and Town of Allegany Shared Services Report
• Municipal Cooperative Agreements in Western New York
• Study on Local Government Agenda Setting
• Village of Lake Placid/Town of North Elba Shared Services Study (12/08)

• County Assessing - Advantages and Options
• Maximizing the Efficiency of the Assessment Function: Guidelines for Transitioning to County Assessing
• Tax Collection and Enforcement: The Potential for Countywide Collaboration
• Municipal Options for More Efficient Assessment Administration
• Comptroller's Review of the Costs of Real Property Tax Assessment in Erie County
• The Effectiveness of Coordinated Assessment Programs
• Economies of Scale in Property Tax Assessment (Georgia)
• Commission on Real Property Tax Relief Final Report (12/08)

• Developing Intermunicipal Arrangements for Highway Services: A Guide for Local Government Officials
• Promoting Intermunicipal Cooperation for Shared Highway Services
• Contract for Street Maintenance and Repair Between the Town and Village of Bergen, Genesee County
• Chautauqua County Bridge Program
• Cayuga County Vehicle Maintenance Pool Service to the City of Auburn
• Town of Esperance Contract with Schoharie County for Highway Services
• Jefferson County Contracting with Towns for Major Improvements
• Fostering Exchange with Local Governments: New York State Department of Transportation Region 7 Office of the Regional Maintenance Engineer
• Chemung County Winter Road Maintenance: Final Report
• Chemung County: Improving Inter-municipal Sharing in Highway Services Case Study
• Indian River School District Shared Fuel Facility Case Study
• Highway Services

• Special District Consolidation in Towns
• Town Special Districts in New York: Background, Trends and Issues
• Nassau County Special Districts: The Case for Reform
• Cost-Saving Ideas for Special Districts in Nassau County
• Cost Disparities in Special Districts in Nassau County
• Special District Election Date Study: A Crazy Quilt
• Special District Election Date Calendar
• Franklin Square Water District Limited Financial Review
• Hicksville Water District Limited Financial Review
• Westbury Water District Limited Financial Review

• Smart Growth in New York State: A Discussion Paper
• Sprawl Without Growth: The Upstate Paradox
• Investing in a Better Future: A Review of the Fiscal and Competitive Advantages of Smarter Growth Development Patterns
• Sprawling by the Lake: How IDA-Granted Property Tax Exemptions Undermine Older Parts of the Buffalo/Niagara Metro Area
• Local Open Space Planning Guide
• New York Land Use Tools: Counties, Cities, Towns, and Villages

• Justice Most Local: The Future of Town and Village Courts in New York State (9/08)
• Justice Court Consolidation in Villages and Towns
• Opportunities for Town and Village Justice Court Consolidation
• Towns of Shelby and Ridgeway Unified Court Case Study
• Justice Courts Accountability and Internal Control Systems
• Action Plan for the Justice Courts
• Yates County and Penn Yan Shared Services Study - Justice Courts and Policing Services

• School & Municipal Savings Initiative: Opportunities for Efficiencies through Shared Services in Nassau County (9/08)
• Does School District Consolidation Cut Costs?
• Impact of School District Consolidation on Property Values
• Thinking Beyond Boundaries: Opportunities to Use Regional and Local Strategies to Strengthen Public Education in the Broome-Tioga Region
• Guide to the Reorganization of School Districts in New York State
• Study of the Cost-Effectiveness of Consolidating Pennsylvania School Districts Vol. 1
• Study of the Cost-Effectiveness of Consolidating Pennsylvania School Districts Vol. 2
• Assessing the Policy Environment for School Corporation Collaboration, Cooperation, and Consolidation in Indiana
• The Supervisory District of Albany, Schoharie, Schenectady, and Saratoga Counties: A Study of Potential Educational Reorganization in the Capital Region
• Reorganization Options for the Erie Two – Chautauqua - Cattaraugus Supervisory District: Delivery of Educational Services in the 21 Century
• A Study of the First Supervisory District of Monroe County
• Annexation Feasibility Study: North Colonie Central School District & Maplewood-Colonie Common School District
• Chautauqua County Study Group: Shared Services Feasibility Study
• Reorganization Powers of the Commissioner of Education
• School District Consolidation in Other States
• Regional Collective Bargaining for School Pay and Benefit Scales
• BOCES Back-Office Services
• A Study of Potential Educational Reorganization of the Sullivan County BOCES (1/09)

• Waterford Police Department Dissolution Study
• Regional Police Services in Pennsylvania
• Consolidating Police Services in Whitestown, New York: Options for the Future
• An Assessment of the Chemung County, NY Juvenile Justice System - June 2006
• UPDATE on the Chemung County, NY Juvenile Justice System - January 2008
• Yates County and Penn Yan Shared Services Study - Justice Courts and Policing Services
• Clay Police Department Merger
• Shared Policing Contract – Aurora & East Aurora

• Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform: Streamlining Local Government
• Government Consolidation and Shared Services Final Report (New Jersey)
• Committing to Prosperity: Moving Forward on an Agenda to Renew Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania State Planning Board 2006 Report
• Regional Police Services in Pennsylvania
• Study of the Cost-Effectiveness of Consolidating Pennsylvania School Districts Vol. 1
• Study of the Cost-Effectiveness of Consolidating Pennsylvania School Districts Vol. 2
• Assessing the Policy Environment for School Corporation Collaboration, Cooperation, and Consolidation in Indiana
• Regionalism: Growing Together to Expand Opportunity to All (Cleveland, Ohio)
• Local Government Consolidation: Lessons for West Virginia
• Economies of Scale in Property Tax Assessment (Georgia)
• Local Government Reform Efforts in Other States
• Reinventing Lucas County Government; A Strategy for Our Future (1/09)