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. 

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 

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.