September 15, 2017

Oneida County Shared Services Savings Plan Finalized

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Local governments come together to save taxpayers money

After months of collaboration between the cities, towns and villages of Oneida County, a county-wide Shared Services Savings Plan has been finalized that will save taxpayers money for years to come.

The Oneida County Shared Services Panel was overseen by County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. and made up of the representatives of several municipalities.

While the plan approved by the panel on Sept. 12 will result in some moderate savings in 2018, it set the framework for multiple future shared services including code enforcement; records management and county-wide purchasing and the consolidations of town courts; youth and recreations services; lighting districts and public works salt storage and production.

“I am very proud of how the leaders of our local governments were able to come together in this unprecedented collaborative effort to save our taxpayers money,” Picente said. “This excellent first step has laid the groundwork for even greater future savings and shown that consolidating services and eliminating duplication is wholly achievable.”

The panel met on three separate occasions in June and July to hammer out the plan, which is estimated to save $164,000 annually beginning in 2018 through the consolidation of the Boonville town and village courts, Department of Public Works equipment sharing and a mowing and snowplowing agreement between the City of Rome and Town of Verona.

“I am a firm believer in eliminating waste and streamlining government wherever possible,” said Rome Mayor Jacqueline Izzo. “Working together with the County Executive and the other panel members was a great experience, and I am happy we were able to provide some relief to Rome taxpayers.”

“It is absolutely crucial that the county and our cities, towns and villages work together whenever possible and think ‘outside the box’ to create innovative solutions for our many common challenges, improve current services and become more efficient,” said Whitestown Supervisor Shaun Kaleta. “I strongly believe the Oneida County Shared Services Plan is a step in the right direction and will lead to immediate savings for our residents and businesses who already pay enough in taxes.”

The fiscal year 2018 New York State Budget enacted the County-wide Shared Services Property Tax Savings Plan Law that required the chief executive officer of each of the 57 counties outside of New York City to convene a panel of public officials to develop, publically deliberate and vote upon county-wide shared service savings plans.

Plans submitted in 2017 and 2018 are eligible to receive a match from the state on their net savings.

In addition to the full panel meetings, several subcommittee meetings took place during the process, as well as three public hearings at which the plan was presented to residents.

The plan was endorsed by the Oneida County Board of Legislators through an advisory opinion, and the finalized version is scheduled to be presented to the public at the Board’s meeting on Oct. 11.

A copy of the Oneida County Shared Services Savings Plan can be viewed here.

Oneida County Partners