NOCCOG

NORTHERN ONEIDA COUNTY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

 
Officials:
Municipal Management Consultant - Gerry A Ritter (Town of Forestport)
Local Government Advisor (part-time) - Harlan Moonen - (Town of Verona)
Local Government Advisor (part-time) - Susan Martin ( Village of Barneveld)

Satellite view of Tug Hill region


Introduction

The Northern Oneida County Council of Governments is a coalition of nineteen towns and villages in the Northern half of Oneida County, New York. Situated at the southern side of the Tug Hill Plateau, NOCCOG provides an outreach of technical and planning assistance to these, for the most part, smaller and more rural communities of the county.

Member Towns: Member Villages:
Annsville(pop.2957*) Ava(714) Barneveld(336)
Boonville(4572) Camden(5028) Boonville(2158)
Forestport(1692) Lee(6875) Camden(2338)
Floyd(3885) Remsen(1939) Holland Patent(441)
Steuben(1191) Trenton(4698)Prospect(341)
Vienna(5819)Western(2040)Remsen(513)
Sylvan Beach(1088)
* 2000 Census
NOCCOG staff attend town and village meetings and gather requests for technical, planning, and development assistance. These requests may be made for assistance in understanding and enforcing their local land use laws, fee schedules, SEQR, flood management regulations, consolidation and inter-municipal cooperation, accessory apartments, annexations, performance bonds, sign ordinances, eminent domain, insurance, etc. In addition, NOCCOG provides, in cooperation with the New York StateTug Hill Commission, extended planning assistance to communities on request. This assistance could include surveys, community goal setting and examination of emerging land use needs and the controls currently in place. Planning assistance is coordinated with the Oneida County Planning Department. The Council networks with several organizations, including the Association of Towns of the State of New York, NYCOM (the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County, and Oneida County Planning, to provide training programs and informational workshops for town and villages. Specific topics are scheduled to meet the needs of newly-elected officials. Workshops may deal with common problems facing area communities, or may provide a forum to clarify local responsibilities due to state or federal mandates. Recent topics have included: Americans with Disabilities Act, Federal CDL drug and alcohol testing regulations, enforcement of local regulations, beaver control, household septic systems, inter-municipal cooperation, digitized mapping, budget preparation, SEQR, among others. NOCCOG provides a forum for inter-municipal communication, coordination, and cooperation, and serves as an informational conduit with surrounding communities and agencies. Staff: Our staff 's activities and projects are overseen by a three-member Executive Board, selected annually by the NOCCOG membership at it's fall Annual Meeting.

News:
Tug Hill Commission Community Survey
May 13, 2009

The results of the region wide phone survey completed in March by the Center of Community Studies at JCC will be available later this month. The goal of the survey was to collect residents' and landowners' perceptions and opinions about a variety of issues and opportunities in the region. In May and June of this year, with results of the survey in-hand, the Commission and Councils of Government will convene seven community forums throughout the Tug Hill region to share survey results with Tug Hill citizens and local officials, as well as gather further responses to the issues addressed. Prior to the public forums, the full survey results will be publicized as well as posted on the Commission and Council of Governments' websites for public review. The forums will provide an opportunity for public opinion leaders and citizens to add depth to the survey by sharing their thoughts and concerns about the results, the region in general, and how agencies, organizations, communities and individuals can work to respond.  The information gathered through the survey and forums will be incorporated into the Tug Hill Commission's 2009 Strategic Planning process, and will be used by NOCCOG and the other Councils of Government to evaluate our programs and priorities

To date, the following forum dates and locations have been scheduled in the NOCCOG area:       

            T/V Boonville Municipal Building - Tuesday, May 26, 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

            Town of Lee Town Hall -  Tuesday, June 16, 6:30-9:00p.m.

Improving Snow and Ice Operations Through Municipal Cooperation
May 13, 2009
A seminar is being presented by the Local Government Education Committee of Herkimer and Oneida Counties on Tuesday May 26,  at SUNYIT, Kunsela Hall Auditorium from 6:30pm - 9:15pm  The presentation will address joint highway operations, salt storage buildings, equipment maintenance opportunities.  The panel will include some local officials as well as David Orr, senior Engineer from the Cornell Local Roads program ad Robert Selover, NYS DOT/Office of Transportation Maintenance. The registrations for the workshop are due by May 15 and the fee is $15, payable to the College Association
TUG HILL COMMUNITY SURVEY
March 11, 2009
  The NYS Tug Hill Commission has contracted with the Center for Community Studies at Jefferson Community College in Watertown to implement a region-wide phone survey, beginning March 16, 2009, and ending March 26, 2009.  In partnership with the region's five councils of government (Cooperative Tug Hill Council, Northern Oneida Council of Governments, North Shore Council of Governments, River Area Council of Governments and the Salmon River Council of Governments), the goal of the survey is to collect residents' and landowners' perceptions and opinions about a variety of issues and opportunities in the Tug Hill Region of New York State. 

Respondents will be asked questions about a variety of land use, natural resource, community development, and planning topics.  The survey should take approximately 15 minutes for respondents to complete.  The survey is being administered by students at Jefferson Community College, similar to how the Jefferson County and Lewis County surveys have been conducted over the past several years.

Later this spring, with results of the survey in-hand, the Commission and councils of government will convene community forums throughout the Tug Hill region to share survey results with Tug Hill citizens and local officials.  These forums are intended to be an opportunity for public opinion leaders and citizens to convey their thoughts and concerns about the survey results, the region in general, and how agencies, organizations, communities and individuals can work to respond.  The responses of forum attendees will truth test the results for the Commission and the region's councils of government, and give them ideas on how best to move forward on the issues and needs identified.  The information gathered through the survey and forums will also feed into the Commission's 2009 Strategic Planning process, and be used by councils to evaluate their own programs and priorities. 

Funding for the survey is being provided by the Cooperative Tug Hill Council, Northern Oneida Council of Governments, North Shore Council of Governments, River Area Council of Governments and the Salmon River Council of Governments, the Northern New York Community Foundation, the Open Space Institute's Malcolm Gordon Fund, and the Tug Hill Commission. 

More information on the Tug Hill Commission is available on their website, http://www.tughill.org/, or by calling 1-888-785-2380 toll-free in the region.  More information about the Center for Community Studies at Jefferson Community College is available on their website, http://www.sunyjefferson.edu/ccs/index.html, or by contacting the Center at 315-786-2489.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -
March 04, 2009
 

The recently approved $787 billion federal stimulus package was developed in part to enable infrastructure projects that promote economic growth.   An estimated $26 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will go to projects and programs within New York State.   Much of that funding will be directed to long delayed infrastructure projects that include money dedicated to the following: the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, Highway Funding and Mass Transit Funding. State officials and congressional representatives are presently working to identify local  "shovel- ready" projects in the area that will spur the economy.  It is believed that once announced those projects could begin in less than a month. In the meantime, if your community has a specific project you feel is eligible for NYS Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Stimulus Funding you may want to check out the following links:

 New York State Funding Breakdown    http://www.economicrecovery.ny.gov/DirectAid/aidnewyork.htm                                                                  Link to Submit Proposals http://www.economicrecovery.ny.gov/system/proposal.cfm

Please note that completing the on-line "Submit Proposals" form is not an official application for funding.  It is an avenue for interested applicants to provide The New York State Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Cabinet with introductory information regarding their projects 

RECORDS MANAGEMENT GRANT APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED
March 04, 2009

Various communities in the Tug Hill Region submitted applications to the New York State Archives office for funding under the Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund (LGRMIF) program. Tug Hill

Commission staff provided assistance in the preparation and submission of four Records Management Grant applications.

The town of Florence requested $18,607 in grant funds for the creation of an inventory of existing records and an inactive records storage area to house those records. The town is proposing to inventory a total of 345 cubic feet of records. The storage area will be constructed within the town hall and will provide a safe, secure, fireproof facility for important town records.

The town of Floyd submitted an application requesting $12,376 to implement a GIS for the town's highway and water departments. After conducting a GIS Needs Assessment using LGRMIF in 2008, the town is eager to begin implanting the recommendations outlined in the assessment. The town plans to purchase equipment, including hardware and software, for the development of a records management system for the highway and water departments. Equipment to be purchased through this project includes a laptop computer, GIS desktop software, a GPS unit and related software, as well as a color printer.

The town of Steuben and the village of Remsen submitted a cooperative grant application for the creation of a files management system for their active records. Both communities are in need of assistance to address the backlog of records they have. The proposed project will allow them to properly organize their records and to develop a new files management system that will better meet their needs. The two communities have requested $11,425 in Records Grant funds to carry out the project.

Northern Oneida County Council of Governments (NOCCOG) also submitted an application on behalf of twenty-eight municipalities in Oneida County. This cooperative project represents the first application of its type submitted by NOCCOG wherein communities outside the COG are included in the project. The project will improve access to historical records for each of the participating communities. Historical records, many of which have suffered fire and water damage over the years, will be preserved and made available digitally through Ancestry.com. Northern Oneida County Council of Governments requested $82,053 for the project.

The Records Management Grant applications were submitted on February 2, 2009. Award announcements are expected in June.


Scenes from Northern Oneida County