April 2009 Monthly Announcements

April 2009 ANNOUNCMENTS 

1. Tug Hill Commission's Local Government Conference - The Tug Hill Commission's Local Government conference on March 26th at Jefferson Community College was a success with over 600 people attending.  We want to thank all our NOCCOG area local officials for their continued support and attendance at the conference. The Commission is reviewing conference evaluation forms for feedback and suggestions for next year. If you have any suggestions for next year's conference or for training workshops throughout the year, feel free to share them with  THC staff or circuit rider at anytime.

2.  Spring Super COG meeting - Supervisor and mayors should have received an announcement of the spring 2009 Super COG meeting that will be Thursday,  held  April 23, at Katie & Karl's Restaurant in Camden. Councils of Government Executive Board members and representatives are invited to the meeting and dinner beginning with a social half-hour at 5:30 and dinner at 6:00 p.m. The program for the evening will include a presentation of the recently completed Tug Hill indicators survey, the preliminary findings of the recently completed survey of residents and land owners conducted by JCC in March, and the upcoming community forums that will be held in May and June at various locations in the Tug Hill area. The purpose of the survey conducted by JCC is to provide an analysis of the perceptions of Tug Hill residents on a variety of issues.  It will also enable the commission to use the information gathered from the surveys and at the community forums for its 2009 Strategic Planning process and  will be used by NOCCOG  and the other councils of governments to evaluate their own programs and priorities. In addition, we will have a round robin of updates from the councils of governments.  If you are interested in attending Super COG meeting, dinner reservations for $15/person may be made by contacting the Commission at 315-785-2380 or toll free within the region at 1-888-785-2380

3.  Wish List Memo to Supervisor and Mayors -   NOCCOG asked each of our member communities to put together a wish list of two or three projects that you would like to undertake if you had the financial means to do so. Letters  were sent out to mayors and supervisors in February requesting them to outline those projects in writing in a couple of sentences and to send them to Gerry Ritter, either by email or letter.  If you have not completed a list of  projects for your municipality , you are urged to do.  This will enable us to discuss the projects with you to see if there are some initial, low cost steps you can take to put yourselves in a better position to receive available funding. Also NOCCOG  & the Tug Hill Commission are always on the lookout for available grant opportunities from many different sources.  If your "wish list" project is on file with us, we'll be able to quickly match it to a particular grant opportunity when one arises.                                                                                                                                                               

4.    American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -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 

5  Highway Maintenance Workshop - The Local Government Education Committee of Oneida and Herkimer Counties is presenting a workshop on Tuesday, May 26 at 6:30 PM, SUNY IT Kunsela Hall Auditorium. The program will focus on cooperative efforts to address winter highway concerns. Brochures will be mailed to each local municipality in late April .

6.  Assistance to Firefighter's Grants - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security  Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program will be offering a grant this spring.  The application has  not been released as of 4/7/09, but it is expected to be announced at any time.  The AFG program provides resources for training, first responder health and safety programs, and response equipment and vehicles.  Once the grant is announced, there is a 30 day turn around time to submit the grant applications. For more information regarding the AFG program and other federal first responder programs, please visit: http://www.firegrantsupport.com/

7.  Spring NYS Archives Workshop -    Disaster Planning & Response, 04/21/09, 9:00 -1:00, Marcy Town Hall, 8801 Paul Becker Road, Marcy, NY 13403.  

You may register by calling Denise Russo at the regional office in Utica at (315-793-2780) or register online at: register online at: http://iarchives.nysed.gov/WorkShops/workshopsDetailServlet?owner=LG&cat=season&subject=Spring    

8. Land Use Planning Workshop  -The Jefferson County Department of Planning, NYS Tug Hill Commission, and the Center for Community Studies at JCC are co-sponsoring a training session on Project Review: Sub-division and Site Plan Processes for local planning officials. The free workshop is designed to help local planning officials navigate through the subdivision and site plan review processes when presented with a development proposal.  The session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, 2009 6:30-8:30 at the Jules Center Amphitheater at JCC. RSVP's are strongly encouraged by April 20th. Please call the Jefferson County Department of Planning at (315) 785-3144 or send an e-mail to lorit@co.jefferson.ny.us.  .   

9. USDA Rural Utilities Service & Household Water Well System Grants USDA Rural Development announces its Revolving Fund Program (RFP) 2009 application,  Most municipalities are eligible for Rural Development Utilities Programs.  Water and Waste Disposal loan/grant programs for municipal water systems (or financial assistance through non-profit organizations to rural residents who need to drill water wells). This notice is issued prior to passage of a final appropriations bill, which may or may not provide funding for this program, to allow applicants sufficient time to prepare applications. Application materials available at http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ or by calling 202-720-9583- Deadline is May 31, 2009