Molinaro Announces Municipal Innovation Grant
Awards to Local Municipalities
Poughkeepsie…Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro joined with several county and local offici
als earlier today in the towns of Amenia and Hyde Park to announce 11 of the 12 recipients of funding through the 2017 Dutchess County Municipal Innovation Grant Program. Nearly $1.75 million in grants were awarded for 12 projects across Dutchess County, ranging from a regional ambulance services study to the creation of a streamlined land use development process. A total of $1 million was made available for this year’s grant program with the Dutchess County Legislature authorizing an additional $750,000 in funding last month. County Executive Molinaro will announce the remaining grant awardee later this month.
County Executive Molinaro said, “Now in the fifth year of our Municipal Innovation Grant Program, we have awarded more than $6.3 million in funding for nearly 50 projects to eliminate duplicative services, share services among municipalities, and improve service delivery throughout Dutchess County to cut costs for taxpayers and streamline service delivery for our residents. I thank our colleagues in the Dutchess County Legislature for their continuous support of this program which has delivered innovative and useful shared services projects.”
Dutchess County Legislator Will Truitt said, “I was proud to support the supplemental funding for this year’s Municipal Innovation Grant Program which has allowed for additional municipal projects that will bring about meaningful and cost-saving results. Dutchess County has long been a proponent of shared services, and these latest grant awards demonstrate the willingness of our local town, city and village officials to collaborate and develop innovative ways to reduce the cost of government operations while saving money for our taxpayers.”
The Municipal Innovation Grant Program was created in 2013 to incentivize municipalities, through a competitive grant program process, to consolidate services, produce shared services, eliminate layers of government, evaluate municipal consolidation opportunities and implementation possibilities, establish the regional delivery of services, and/or implement efficiency improvements. The grant program is administered under the direction of the Dutchess County Department of Planning & Development.
This year’s grant application was released in April and includes the following funding categories: Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement, Land Use/Economic Development and General Innovation. The County received a total of 18 applications, requesting more than $1.9 million in funding.
Dutchess County Legislator Gregg Pulver said, “Since 2013, the Municipal Innovation Grant Program has led the way across New York State in creating shared services projects and partnerships among our local municipalities to cut costs and eliminate redundancies in services. This year’s awarded projects will help to further Dutchess County’s efforts to advance shared services among municipalities and create efficiencies within government operations, in order to save taxpayer dollars and reduce costs.”
This year’s awards include:
Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Project – Phase II
Project Award: $198,750
Awarded Municipalities: Dutchess County, Cities of Beacon & Poughkeepsie, Towns of East Fishkill, Fishkill, Hyde Park, Pine Plains, Poughkeepsie, and Villages of Fishkill, Millbrook, Millerton, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, & Wappingers Falls
Project Description: Law enforcement training that will provide officers with the tools necessary to identify, intervene, de-escalate, and divert individuals from inpatient hospitalization and the criminal justice system to community organizations that can address their needs. Research suggests an estimated savings of $100,000, annually.
Municipal Shared Solar Farm
Project Award: $45,000
Awarded Municipality: Town and Village of Red Hook
Project Description: The Town, in partnership with the Village, will further its adopted Climate Action Plan moving forward on the next steps before they are able to construct a solar farm that will provide energy to municipal facilities, resulting in an anticipated savings of $40,000, annually.
Shared Commercial Sewer District Expansion Study
Project Award: $75,000
Awarded Municipality: Town of Hyde Park & Dutchess County Water & Wastewater Authority (DCWWA)
Project Description: Hire a consultant to provide a detailed engineering report, including a map plan for a shared commercial sewer district of the Route 9 commercial area that will result in estimated annual savings of $5,000, in addition to increased revenues from increased property values and business intensity in the newly formed district.
Shared Court Facilities Study
Project Award: $30,000
Awarded Municipality: Town and Village of Red Hook
Project Description: A consultant will be hired to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of sharing court operations and locations, expected to save taxpayers $40,000, annually.
Shared Court Facilities Study
Project Award: $30,000
Awarded Municipality: Town and Village of Rhinebeck
Project Description: A consultant will be hired to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of sharing court operations and locations, expected to save taxpayers $40,000, annually.
Shared Municipal Complex – Site Study
Project Award: $142,000
Awarded Municipality: City of Beacon and Dutchess County
Project Description: Beacon will do a site analysis and conceptual designs for shared firehouse, city administration, and county satellite offices, expected to save more than $4.8 million, annually.
Shared Municipal/Fire District Facility Study
Project Award: $150,000
Awarded Municipalities: Town of Poughkeepsie & Arlington Fire District
Project Description: Hire a consultant to evaluate and develop options for the consolidation of municipal and fire district facilities into one centrally located facility, eliminating the need to invest $1.2 million in facility improvements. A centralized consolidated facility is expected to result in efficiencies and more than $260,000 in savings, annually.
Shared Services & Water Infrastructure Consolidation Study
Project Award: $120,000
Awarded Municipalities: Town of Wappinger & Village of Wappingers Falls
Project Description: Hire a consultant to analyze and identify shared service opportunities, including an analysis of the Tri-Municipal Sewer Commission wastewater service quality and operations, as to ensure adequate capacity, inflow, infiltration, and treatment methodology, and an analysis of drinking water to ensure adequate flow and supply. The study is expected to result in savings and efficiency recommendations.
Sports Field – Infield Mix & Permanent Synthetic Marking (Joint Procurement)
Project Award: $51,900
Awarded Municipality: Towns of Pleasant Valley & Milan
Project Description: Joint procurement of infield mix and permanent synthetic marking for multiple sports fields. Permanent synthetic marking systems eliminates the need for regular and ongoing field striping, with a useful life of 10 years and savings of more than $15,000, annually.
Streamlining Land Use Development Process
Project Award: $140,000
Awarded Municipality: City of Poughkeepsie, Towns of Hyde Park and Rhinebeck, and Dutchess County
Project Description: This will be a two-phased project. Phase 1 will focus on the City of Poughkeepsie and Towns of Hyde Park and Rhinebeck, who will hire a consultant to examine and develop new practices that will facilitate streamlined land use procedures, resulting in efficient building, planning, and zoning permitting practices. Phase 2 will involve an analysis of the feasibility of implementing a Dutchess County shared code enforcement and building inspection to act as a resource for communities who opt to contract with Dutchess County for said services.
Regional Ambulance Services Study
Project Award: $190,000
Awarded Municipality: Towns of Amenia, Dover & North East, and Village of Millerton & Dutchess County
Project Description: This will be a two-phased project. Phase 1 will focus on the Towns of Amenia, Dover & North East, and Village of Millerton, who will hire a consultant to evaluate current operations and make recommendations to evaluate the effectiveness of contracting out separately for ambulance services versus joining forces to collaborate on a regional delivery of services. Phase 2 will be a study to evaluate the steps necessary to create an Emergency Services Authority in Dutchess County. The objective of the authority would be to provide a coordinated solution for the delivery of EMS among its members, which could include individual agencies, and local municipalities, that is Patient Centered, Consistent, Reliable, Affordable, and Sustainable.
Town of Amenia Supervisor Victoria Perotti said, “I am grateful for the support from County Executive Molinaro and the Dutchess County Legislature for funding our regional ambulance services study. Ongoing discussions and research regarding the delivery of emergency medical services in the northeastern section of Dutchess County are critical as they will help us to develop a long-term, coordinated solution for our residents. I look forward to working alongside our municipal partners involved with the project in evaluating the results from the study and creating a plan moving forward.”
To learn more about the Municipal Innovation Grant Program,
visit: http://www.co.dutchess.
