[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6322405,"mediaKeyId","2347915-78a800fbddbe8ed0ed41b3b725d5543e","parentId",2347915,"title","Ways and Means committee approves series of resolutions, including legal services contracts and grant appropriations","audioSeconds",160,"startMs",496000,"endMs",336000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2347915-78a800fbddbe8ed0ed41b3b725d5543e&start=496&end=336","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2347915-78a800fbddbe8ed0ed41b3b725d5543e/thumbnail_496000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6322405/Allegany-County/New-York/Ways-and-Means-committee-approves-series-of-resolutions-including-legal-services-contracts-and-grant-appropriations","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322405-d18cf917a3c06c2df7a1ced8f86c0289/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146350&Signature=B~-AGJwBh4JMhdqmV3kiLdg6eR1nwZybKSSwpgvcwNtz6c241QgwOGiRAbSIrM8DYCfDwtJqpCmECOUaxUrRM7L0ZWyO91B0ryax7TjSe0B1gtN50p-pZUZFiK~qf9SxlNlV3ni4JbfSSRU~KWnSr3~3NBRFsf9Gg1kFtai7LOlIxoYS1doA69kzA9Pd0~zz-6T7N6glXcHgEJAYWK~VcrjzmmmJnsXIwt-3DdW~hAAS6kURJwx-NZA~gBtjz1G3jbYiW~dHSmQfzHrrJnWpn9N-Ud8ixSIkCFFwh6EeKVug0e28SXLR6k7hKrKHb6vM57y2zjCNEdS2Y8qPa6RR7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Allegany County New York Government","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","The Allegany County Ways and Means Committee on Feb. 19 approved a set of resolutions and motions including an annual legal-services contract for the county child support unit, support for two state bills to provide state aid for New Hudson, authorization to retain outside counsel to review a proposed ethics law, a resolution opposing a New York Power Authority rate increase, appropriation of banked grant funds for bus capital projects, and several routine contracts and schedule changes.

The committee approved an annual purchase-of-services agreement with Leslie Hegstrom to provide all legal services for the county Child Support Enforcement Unit for a one-year term from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 of this year. County Attorney (unnamed) presented the agreement and the committee approved the motion, which carried by voice vote.

Treasurer Ross explained a second resolution supporting Assembly Bill A4616 and Senate Bill S1300. Ross said the bills would provide state aid to the town of New Hudson and its special districts for state land owned and operated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, specifically citing the Hanging Bog Wildlife Management Area. \"The town of New Hudson is trying to get the state to pay the taxes on that exempt property,\" Treasurer Ross said, adding that the state land is exempt from taxation and that the town currently pays significant amounts to the town and school; the county is not paid on that property. The committee approved the resolution in support of the bills.

The committee authorized the county to retain Webster Zanni as outside counsel to assist with review of a proposed county ethics local law and authorized the county attorney to sign a letter of engagement and retainer on the county's behalf. The county attorney said a draft local law already exists and the outside counsel would review that draft and provide formal opinions on specific gray areas so the county would not need to amend the local law after adoption. The motion passed after limited discussion.

The committee approved a resolution opposing any proposed increase from the New York Power Authority. A committee member commented that the state’s population and political influence in New York City affects resource decisions and said the county should push back; the resolution carried.

Committee members also approved unbanking previously awarded grant funds and appropriating $51,596 into the 2025 budget for capital projects in the county bus transportation program. The motion carried.

The committee approved the county's annual contract with the Association for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (already budgeted) and approved two scheduling resolutions submitted by the Clerk of the Board to change the first board meeting in May from Wednesday, May 14 to Wednesday, May 7 at 10 a.m., and to change the second board meeting in July from Wednesday, July 23 to Thursday, July 17 to allow the board to meet at the county fair. Both scheduling resolutions carried.

All votes recorded in open session were carried by voice vote; the committee's roll call at the start of the meeting showed seven members present and one absent. Where individual roll-call tallies were not read into the record, the committee used voice vote and the chair announced motions carried.

Votes at a glance

- Purchase-of-services agreement with Leslie Hegstrom (child support legal services), term Jan. 1–Dec. 31, outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Resolution supporting Assembly Bill A4616 and Senate Bill S1300 (state aid to Town of New Hudson for state land), outcome: approved (voice vote). Treasurer Ross explained the resolution and cited the Hanging Bog Wildlife Management Area.
- Authorization to retain Webster Zanni as outside counsel for county ethics local law review; county attorney authorized to sign retainer, outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Resolution opposing any New York Power Authority rate increase, outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Appropriate previously banked grant funds of $51,596 to the 2025 budget for bus capital projects, outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Annual contract/appropriation for the Association for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (already budgeted), outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Change first board meeting in May from May 14 to May 7 at 10 a.m., outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Change second board meeting in July from July 23 to July 17 to hold meeting at the county fair, outcome: approved (voice vote).

Ending

Committee members closed the formal session after approving the listed items and moved to a brief logistics discussion for members attending the New York State Association of Counties conference. The chair adjourned the meeting after the logistics conversation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Allegany Ways & Means Committee meeting - February 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Allegany County Ways and Means Committee on Feb. 19 approved a set of resolutions including an annual child-support legal-services contract, support for two state bills to provide aid to the town of New Hudson, authorization to retain outside counsel to review a proposed county ethics law, and the appropriation of $51,596 in banked grant funds for bus capital projects.","taxTitle","Allegany County, New York","taxId",73159,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6322402,"County officials say grants workload strains staff; discuss consultants, Delta contract and hiring",104,1250000,1354000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2347915-78a800fbddbe8ed0ed41b3b725d5543e&start=1250&end=1354","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2347915-78a800fbddbe8ed0ed41b3b725d5543e/thumbnail_1250000.jpg","/articles/6322402/Allegany-County/New-York/County-officials-say-grants-workload-strains-staff-discuss-consultants-Delta-contract-and-hiring","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322402-242e539fa82fb02aeaf9c4565f4f63a3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146350&Signature=QJkh98-tRo7sUILglosS3hA3YTDh6WrmqfBLhA05v6jw0QB9V3ufl2t5alzGH5Tl51wsrb9BHnyTbQWLr9Ci~6XqFLPvs1JTdTdtXX10QDaXekqZZqfoNSqWJb4rgBHG~g9JdVsthADo5DWGQIlNlHf0RKOxC01YpJVY-UVnkf5kqEnf1NQgOGFCWFy1Uh-PpWuoFOIswEdYtr0ZFd3ikaZdh6Gwv6-6wC8zM1KzcXUsjD30-ZELHeVSbUI5sg6RgxQ00JSx23lF2PIG81og~OxnSeJtsDvzGn7kcpmWbo1fJEP16KV4WUXFiXDQDqOHsqxvxYwk~SnWtjmarcGUTg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County officials and committee members on Feb. 19 warned that the volume and complexity of federal and state grant work is straining county staff and discussed whether to rely on consultants, expand in-house capacity, or create a permanent grant-management position.

County Administrator (unnamed) told the Ways and Means Committee that applications for a newly framed emergency management director position and a county historian position have been posted and that Human Resources had received several applications. \"We've started to receive applications,\" the County Administrator said, adding that the plan is to accept applications through mid-March and then schedule interviews.

The County Administrator and other members described the grant process as time-consuming at both the application and administration stages. \"It is a lot of work even with grant consultants' help,\" the County Administrator said, noting the procurement and drawdown phases add substantial staff time. The administrator said the county has ARPA funds and other sources that could be used to meet match requirements but emphasized the importance of aligning grant-seeking with board priorities.

A committee member asked whether certain IIJA grants were at risk; the administrator and other staff said the county's IIJA awards were under contract and staff had been assured by consultants and representatives that the county stands a good chance of receiving the funds. The administrator said Delta, a consultant, represents multiple clients and has been in communication with representatives in Washington.

Several members identified Jody Adams as a key internal point person for grant compliance and application work. One member said, \"Jody is kind of the point person for a lot of these grants for the information coming in and out. And she's done that even before we had Delta.\" Members credited Adams with handling complex compliance and reporting tasks across multiple funding streams.

Board members discussed the county's $90,000 contract with Delta (referenced in discussion) and whether the county would get \"bang for your buck\" from hiring a full-time grant specialist versus using consultants. One member noted the Delta contract cost of $90,000 and that administration contributes an estimated eight to nine collective staff hours weekly to support those grants. The committee discussed the idea of prioritizing grant pursuits to match staff capacity instead of pursuing every available opportunity.

Members also said some towns and villages lack capacity to pursue grants and have hired outside consultants when necessary; the county previously had arrangements to provide subsidized grant writing assistance to local municipalities, a model some members suggested could be revisited.

Ending

Committee members expressed support for directing grant efforts toward board priorities and signaled willingness to invest in staffing or consultant arrangements where the county can expect a measurable return. The committee did not take a formal vote on new grant staffing during the meeting.","Allegany County officials discussed grant volume, grant-management capacity, the county's Delta contract, and ongoing recruitments for emergency management director and county historian positions.","actionData","errors"]

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Ways and Means committee approves series of resolutions, including legal services contracts and grant appropriations

County officials say grants workload strains staff; discuss consultants, Delta contract and hiring