Press Release

Release: Three Public Hearings Scheduled For County-Wide Shared Services Plan

CSSI Public Hearings Scheduled For Early September In Canajoharie, Fonda & Amsterdam

FONDA - County Executive Matthew L. Ossenfort has announced that Public Hearings for the county's County-Wide Shared Services Plan will be held in early September, in three locations across the county. This is part of the state's County-Wide Shared Services Initiative(CSSI) that was included in the enacted fiscal year 2018 State Budget.

The initiative requires county officials to develop localized plans that identify, propose and implement new actions to save taxpayers money through shared, coordinated and more efficient services between local governments within the county.

Public Hearings will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 4 p.m., in Amsterdam at the Social Services Satellite Conference Room located in the Riverfront Center; on Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 2:30 p.m., in Fonda in the Legislative Chambers of the County Office Building, and in Canajoharie, Monday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m., in the Village Hall. The Public Hearings are part of the process, required by the state, to obtain and facilitate input from the public.

Back in July, Executive Ossenfort convened a meeting of the Shared Services Panel at Fulton-Montgomery Community College. By the state's definition, the Shared Services Panel consists of the mayor of each city or village and the supervisor of each town in the county. At that meeting, on July 12, the Shared Services Panel approved the plan drawn up by the county and submitted it to the County Legislature for their consideration and recommendations.

Many of the bold initiatives included in the county's Shared Services Plan are also included in its Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Plan (MCEP). The MCEP was developed as part of a state competition to increase efficiency and bolster shared services within the county. That plan was created based on the feedback and ideas from local officials, who have provided their input throughout the year.

Shared Services Plans that create actual savings across multiple jurisdictions may be eligible for a one-time match from the state of the net savings resulting from new actions implemented pursuant to the Plan.

If this Shared Services Plan is approved by the panel, the state is mandating that a public presentation of the plan take place no later than Oct. 15.