JANUARY 2010 ANNOUNCEMENTS 

1. Tug Hill Commission Local Government Conference - Registration information has been mailed to local officials for the Tug Hill Commission's 21st Annual Local Government Conference on Thursday, April 1 at JCC, Watertown.  The keynote speaker will be Robert Freeman, Executive Director, NYS Department of State, Committee on Local Government. There is wide variety of courses for all elected and appointed officials. The course for assessors will be for continuing education credits. When sending in your registration forms, please mark the registration form in the lower left corner for the courses you would like to take.  Also please mark you lunch choice.  This helps in planning for enough seating and adequate handouts available for each session. Early registration fee is $50 & must be postmarked by 3/10/2010, registration is $75 if postmarked by 3/17/2010 and if you pay at the door, the fee is $100.  If you have any newly elected or appointed officials, please provide the NOCCOG circuit riders contact information so these new officials will receive future mailings.

2.  Fiscal Oversight / Red Flags for Fraud -   The Training Session will be offered by the NYS Comptroller's Office from Syracuse. This training program is designed to assist village and town officials in carrying out their fiscal oversight responsibility. Topics to be covered include-

•q       What are the board's fiscal oversight duties?

•q       What is the purpose of an audit and who is responsible?

•q       An overview of the records of the chief fiscal officer (Supervisor or Treasurer)

•q       An overview of the fiscal responsibilities of the Justice and Clerk

•q       Important audit concerns and key records to look at (a checklist approach).

•q       What do you do if questions are raised during the audit process?

•q       What are the major red flags for Fraud you should watch for?

•q       What do you do if suspect fraud?                                                                                                                             

Two free sessions will be held & you can register by contacting the Tug Hill Commission at   

1-800-785-2390 by January 19. The sessions will be held:

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010, 7 PM - 9PM,    Thursday, January 28th 1020, 7 PM - 9 PM

Altmar-Albion Municipal Bldg,                            Boonville Town & Village Hall

15 Bridge Street                                            13149 State Route 12   

Altmar                                                          Boonville

3. Municipal Energy Grants -The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is responsible for administering the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). NYSERDA will soon be issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) through which $24 million of New York's allocation of ARRA EECBG funds will be awarded for eligible energy conservation projects on a competitive basis through one selection round. This program is targeted at small municipal governments that did not receive a direct EECBG allocation from the Department of Energy.  Municipalities receiving electrical service through a municipal commission will be eligible for this program. The RFP will provide up to 100% funding for the implementation of energy conservation measures including (i) energy efficiency, (ii) renewable energy, (iii) efficient transportation systems, (iv) material conservation, and (v) energy conservation personnel. Free information sessions on the RFP will be held at: Boehlert Center at Untin Staion,321 Main Street, Utica NY, Thursday, Janurary 7,2010 1:00-3:00PM and the Dulles State Office Building Wednesday, January 6 from 1-3 p.m. in the #4 conference room on the 11th floor. If communities need help with the RFP please feel free to contact the Commission at 888-785-2380.  For more information, visit the NYSERDA Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant webpage http://www.nyserda.org/economicrecovery/blockgrants.asp).                                                                                                        

 4.  LGRMIF Grants -   Application guidelines and instructions for 2010 New York State Archives Grant are now available online at http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/grants/grants_lgrmif.shtml.

There are some changes for this year -

              Grant applications for this year will have to be filed electronically except for a few specified parts of the grant that need signatures.

            The RMO for each municipality will need a user name and password the first time you log into the system.  If you have applied for a grant in the last three years, this information should have been received electronically by your Clerk/Records Management Officer.

            In addition to the competitive grants program, the LGRMIF also supports disaster recovery grants this year.        

Also if you are interested in applying for a 2010 NYS Archives grant, you need to contact the Region 5, RAO, Kent Stuetz to set up an appointment to discuss the project ASAP. Grants are due 2/1/10.    Kent can be reached by contacting the regional office at 793-2780 or by email at kstuetz@mail.nysed.gov.

5. Training Session on Comprehensive Master Plans - The Local Government Education Committee of Oneida & Herkimer Counties will be hosting a training session on Comprehensive Plans on Tuesday, January 26, 7:00-9:00 PM at Kunsela Hall at SUNYIT, Utica. Flyers have been mailed out to local officials with a registration form.  The fee to attend is $15 and pre-registration is required one week prior to the session.  Light refreshments will be served.

 A Comprehensive Plan is a set of guidelines that can help shape the future growth of a community.  The document should be used as a policy guide when making decisions about development  and should contain an all-inclusive approach to address any potential issues a community may face.This session will include an over view on the importance of a comprehensive plan and what it should contain.  This will be followed by a panel discussion of local officials who have recently  have worked on comprehensive plans and a consultant from Barton & Loguidice who has worked with various t/v on comp plans. If your town or village is working a comprehensive plan or plans to in the future, please plan on attending this training session.  Two hour of training credit will be given to Planning Board and ZBA members who attend.Payments should be made payable to the College Association and mailed to the Office of Continuing Professional Education, SUNYIT, and PO Box 3050, Utica, NY  13504-3050

6. Upcoming Grant Deadlines -

            Jan. 22:        Great Lakes Wildlife Restoration Fund (EPA)

            Jan. 29:        Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

            Feb 1:           Local Gov. Records Management Improvement grants (State Archives)

            Feb 24:         Local Govt. Efficiency Grants (DOS)   

            March 15:     Energy Conservation Studies (NYSERDA) - first come, first served through                                     March 15th.

            March 22:     RFP 1613 Project Implementation Funding for State Energy Program                                             (NYSERDA)

There will also likely be a deadline for the NYSERDA Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) sometime in January/February that has not yet been announced.

7. New State Regulations for Appointed & Elected Officials -The NYS Comptroller's Office and the New York Association of Towns is contacting municipalities about a new regulation for correctly reporting the number of days worked during a reporting period. This new requirement is to ensure employees receive the benefits they are entitled to.  This can be difficult since elected and appointed officials usually do not work a fixed schedule or have preset hours,  and determining the number of days they've worked requires a different process .A new regulation which more clearly defines the process of reporting elected and appointed officials became effective August 12, 2009. The new regulation adds additional requirements for both employers and elected and appointed officials. Among the changes are an expanded record of work activities, a more detailed resolution and specific time frames within which requirements must be completed. This section of our presentation describes the new method of properly calculating the number of days to report for elected and appointed officials and how it differs from the previous process. The new regulation applies to new terms of office or appointments beginning on or after August 12, 2009. The first time these new requirements will affect those who are currently elected or appointed officials is the start of the term after their next election or appointment to office, which for towns means 1/1/2010.

A copy of the new regulation can be found at:

http://www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/word_and_pdf_documents/employers_files/employer_reporting/elected-appointed-reg315.pdf

Additional information including a sample resolution can be found at:

http://www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/employers/employer_reporting_basics/elected_appointed_officials/index.htm

8. Genesis Group Clean and Green Project - The Genesis Group of the Mohawk Valley is inviting community leaders from every town, city and village in Oneida and Herkimer County to join in an effort to participate in the Keep America Beautiful Program.  The kick off meeting for the Regional Clean and Green Project was held in November 18 at the Hotel Utica. A follow up meetings will be scheduled later this month. Contact Ray Durso, Jr. for more information at rdurso@thegenesisgroup.org 

9. NOCCOG Yearly Dues Vouches - The vouchers for the $500 yearly dues will be mailed to supervisor & mayors the first week of January.

                                                             Email addresses:

Gjriiter01@aol.com or gerryritternoccog@frontiernet.net

hmoonen@twcny.rr.com  &  smartin47@roadrunner.com