Director's Note NYSAC STAFF (partial listing) Stephen J. Acquario, Esq. Executive Director Karen Catalfamo Office/Financial Manager Nicole Correia Communication Manager Patrick Cummings, Esq. Counsel Jackie Dederick Records Manager Patricia Gettings Assistant to the Director Ryan Gregoire Legislative Coordinator Alexandra LaMonte Research Analyst Mark LaVigne Deputy Director Dave Lucas Director of Finance & Intergovernmental Affairs Juanita Munguia Marketing Specialist Kate Pierce Multimedia Specialist Jeanette Stanziano Director of Education & Training
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ast month, NYSAC had an article published in the Buffalo News discussing how China’s decision to stop buying recycling material from the US will impact counties right here in New York. This is one more example of the sometimes-complicated role that counties play in the interconnected network of public policies at all levels of government, from local to state to federal to global. In the recycling example, the decision made by China to stop accepting our shipments of recycled goods requires county waste management organizations to rethink how we invest in our recycling facilities and develop educational programs for our residents. Similarly, county jails and some community social service agencies across the state are increasingly holding and caring for illegal immigrants that are being held as a result of actions being taken by administrative policies at the federal level. Last summer, a delegation of 150 New York county leaders attended a day-long white house briefing on a range of federal policies that impact our regional governments, including agriculture and dairy, the opioid crisis, immigration reform and the impact on New York State, drinking water safety, infrastructure, and changes in tax policy. We are grateful for this direct dialogue with the White House. At the state level, counties are currently implementing two recently enacted state criminal justice laws that are impacting several county departments. Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility, for example, is being implemented over the course of a multiyear period and is requiring counties to hire new probation officers, create new social service programs, and build new specialized secure youth detention facilities, among other new local programs and services. Counties are also rolling out new public defense reforms that require us to increase staffing for local courts and in some counties hiring new public defense attorneys to address caseload caps required by state lawmakers.
These two new programs are on top of the 9 state mandates that counties deliver and fund that consume over 90 percent of the aggregate county property taxes collected across the state. For every federal and state agency, counties have a corresponding department at the regional level. It is because of this that we often find ourselves in the middle of multilevel public policy implementation. And that is why we often say that for state and federal government services, counties are where the rubber meets the road. This is also why the NYSAC Legislative Platform, on page 13 is so wide-ranging and broad in its scope. Counties are involved in a plethora of public policy areas. Counties administer pre-school special education and we sponsor community colleges. We monitor drinking water systems, run sewer districts, and protect residents and pets from Harmful Algal Blooms. We sponsor Off Track Betting Corporations (OTBs) and run anti-gambling services. We invest in new business development, and we build out our roads, bridges and sewer systems to meet demand and promote the local economies. We run elections and we monitor the ethical conduct of local leaders. At NYSAC, we have an experienced and agile team of staff members who have worked in county government, the state legislature, the state budget division, and congress. They are well versed in many facets of government, and now they are working for you, the hard working and dedicated county officials who are working for New Yorkers in communities across the state. We wish you all the best for 2019, and we stand ready to help you on a wide range of issues, on matters germane to any level of government, from our offices in Albany to your offices in your county.
Stephen J. Acquario, Esq. NYSAC Executive Director NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
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