Allegany County will present the final 2019 County Wide Shared Services Initiative (CWSSI) plan to the public at the Board of Legislators meeting scheduled for Friday, January 24th at 2 pm in the Legislative Chambers. The County is required by statute to present the document in a public forum. The panel, comprised of the County Administrator and the supervisor or mayor from each town and village, voted in favor of the plan in December. Copies of the plan and supporting documents are available for review on the Allegany County website under quick links at www.alleganyco.gov.
This is the second CWSSI plan that Allegany County has submitted. New York State now requires that a plan be submitted annually through 2021. It has been a collaborative process amongst Allegany County elected officials. Shared Service panel members are required to meet at least two times during the year to discuss and develop a plan of action to identify potential tax savings through sharing services.
While this plan does not identify a large amount of savings, it does reflect a large amount of effort put forth to make the process happen. There are still areas of interest that the panel would like to participate in that remain beyond our reach due to existing statutes. We continue to remain hopeful that legislation will be changed and allow participation in more cost savings opportunities in rural areas like a health care consortium.
Our County government, towns, and villages already have a vast history of sharing services, most of which have been documented for decades. In the future, we will continue to work to find creative and sustainable ways to provide tax savings to the residents in our municipalities.