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Showing posts with label NYgov. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYgov. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
This Morning, NYCON CEO Doug Sauer Testifies in Front of Senate Committee
Saturday, March 9, 2013
NYSACRA Action Alert
NYSACRA Action Alert
As you are well aware, the proposed 2013-14 Executive Budget proposes a 6% across the board cut to all voluntary not-for-profit providers throughout the State of New York, effective April 1, 2013. If this cut is enacted, the developmental disabilities system of supports and services will be negatively impacted, dramatically. NYSACRA has received information from members as to how the reductions will be absorbed if a restoration is not successful. Agencies will be forced to: reduce services and supports, eliminate entire programs, layoff all levels of staff including direct support professionals. We all know how this will translate if the cuts are to be taken: the great strides we've made as a sector will quickly erode and the quality of life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) will be negatively impacted.
Both houses of the State Legislature are in the process of negotiating and getting ready to release the respective one-house budget measures. While we understand the 6% across the board cut to the not-for-profit developmental disabilities sector is gaining great attention in the State Legislature, we need to continue advocacy efforts and therefore we are asking agencies, parents and family members, agency staff and direct support professionals, self advocates to make two telephone calls this week.
WHO TO CALL:
Please make two telephone calls, one to your State Assemblymember and the other to your State Senator in their Albany Offices
WHEN:
This week (the week of March 4th)
WHAT'S MY MESSAGE:
"I'm a constituent and I am concerned the proposed 6% across the board cut to the not-for-profit developmental disabilities providers will negatively impact supports, services and programs. I wish to thank my Assemblymember/Senator for his/her support of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and ask him/her to support restoration of the 6% proposed cut in the one-house budget bill."
HOW:
Contact the Assembly Operator at 518-455-4100 and ask to be transferred to your Assemblymember's Office. (if you do not know who your Member of the Assembly is, go towww.assembly.state.ny.us to identify your Member. You may also obtain his/her direct Albany Office telephone number, rather than going through the Assembly Operator).
Contact the Senate Operator at 518-455-2800 and ask to be transferred to your Senator's Office (if you do not know who your Member of the Senate is, go to www.nysenate.gov to identify your Senator. You may also obtain his/her Albany Office telephone number on the website, rather than going through the Senate Operator).
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ONGOING ADVOCACY AND EFFORTS!
LOOK FOR MORE NYSACRA ACTION ALERTS
THROUGHOUT THIS WEEK AND NEXT WEEK
Sunday, March 3, 2013
State cuts threaten local nonprofits
State cuts threaten local nonprofits
By AMY NEFF ROTH
By proposing $120 million in state budget cuts to the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, the governor has taken a step back from his commitment to protecting New Yorkers with disabilities, advocates said.
The six percent cut proposed in a budget amendment last week would be spread across the board to the 700 nonprofit agencies providing services to help New Yorkers with development disabilities live in the community. A matching federal cut inMedicaid money would bring the total value of the cuts to $240 million.
This decrease, which would go into effect April 1, follows millions of dollars of cuts over the past two years.
“This is truly something that … (is) probably the most devastating and the most threatening to our industry … This just an incredible thing,” said Kevin Crosley, president/CEO of Herkimer ARC, which would lose $1.2 million.
Local agencies aren’t taking the cuts quietly. A group from The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter, which would lose $1.5 million, will be heading to Albany next week to make sure local legislators understand the potential impact of the cuts to the community, the local economy and the people and families served by The Arc.
Its website also has a Call to Action button, which, when pressed, explains the issue and asks people to send letters to legislators. And HARC will host a meeting today to explain the fears of its staff and families to state Sen. James Seward, R-Milford.
The governor’s press office did not return a call asking for comment.
The fallout could be widespread economically with layoffs possible or even likely, officials said.
The fallout could be widespread economically with layoffs possible or even likely, officials said.
For example, HARC, with nearly 400 employees, is the second largest employer in Herkimer County, which already faces insecurity over the future of its largest employer, Remington Arms.
Many agencies provide support that helps people with developmental disabilities hold jobs — jobs they’d have to give up if support personnel get laid off, officials said. And many families rely on services to take care of their relatives with developmental disabilities so they can go to work.
But the biggest losers, agencies say, would be the people who depend on these agencies. Herkimer resident Jeanne Garia De Paredes said she doesn’t know where she will be if her 38-year-old son didn’t receive services from HARC.
Tomas Garcia De Paredes, who has Down syndrome, works in the mornings at a HARC workshop, which does contract work, and spends his afternoons in a day program, going on outings a few days a week to bowl, play miniature golf or watch a movie.
Because her son is safe, Garcia De Paredes, who also sits on HARC’s board, is able to work as the office manager in her husband’sdental practice . And the programs keep her son happy.
“It’s his whole life. He gets up in the morning and he looks at his calendar and he sees what he has and it’s a very important part of his life,” she said.
Many agencies already operate with little financial cushion and some are already in the red, said Ryan Goodenough, director of government affairs for NYSARC, the New York chapter of the Arc.
Many agencies already operate with little financial cushion and some are already in the red, said Ryan Goodenough, director of government affairs for NYSARC, the New York chapter of the Arc.
If the cuts go through, some won’t be able to pay their bills and will end up closing, he said.
“We don’t have any reliable estimate (of the number). A ballpark guess would be 10 to 20 percent of the agencies in the state,” he said. That works out to 70 to 140 agencies.
“I don’t know where those people are going to be able to get support services if they have no agency left that’s supporting them,” said Karen Korotzer, CEO of The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter.
Both Korotzer and Crosley stressed that their agencies are not in danger of folding.
Suzanne Bakiewicz is watching the drama from three positions. She’s the national sales director for Herkimer Industries, a division of HARC. She sits on the state’s family support advisory council for Oneida County. And her teenage son is on the autism spectrum.
Although her son now receives all the services he needs through their school district, Bakiewicz worries about his future.
“Once he graduates from school, the question is,” she asked, “will there be services available to him and throughout his adult life?”
Want to read the online version? Click Here
Friday, November 11, 2011
Excellus and 10 other health insurers ordered to repay millions to customers
Bloomberg News Governor Cuomo has ordered 11 health insurers, including those that are “nonprofit,” to pay back millions in customer overcharges. Specifically, Cuomo is ordering the insurers to pay back $114.5 million, because the companies in question spent less than 82 cents of each dollar on health care. The organization with the second highest payback to be made is Excellus Health Plan, a nonprofit Blue Cross organization based in Albany. Excellus will be required to repay $21.4 million. “In this economic climate, every penny counts and in this case, insurance companies were overcharging New Yorkers to the tune of millions of dollars," Governor Cuomo said. "This should serve as a message to companies that we are watching, and we will not tolerate any action that wrongly hurts the finances of the people of New York."
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Sauer Named to Attorney General's Nonprofit Leadership Committee
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman recently announced that NYCON CEO Doug Sauer would be one of the prominent nonprofit leaders appointed to the Committee for Nonprofit Revitalization. The task force, composed of 29 leaders in the nonprofit sector from across New York State, is charged with presenting a series of recommendations to the Attorney General to reduce the regulatory burdens and costs on nonprofits while strengthening nonprofit accountability.
"I'm honored that Attorney General Schneiderman has asked us to bring NYCON's statewide perspective and expertise to this important collaborative effort," said Doug Sauer. "We're proud to represent 3,000 small to moderately sized member nonprofits who provide critical services in communities across New York. It's a testament to the Attorney General's initiative that he is seeking the input of these grass roots groups as he strives to help improve nonprofit efficiency, make oversight more effective and help increase the public's faith in our sector."
In addition to providing critical services to New Yorkers, nonprofits are also a driving economic force. Statewide, nonprofits employ between 17 and 18 percent of the workforce. In New York City alone nonprofits employ 500,000 people.
"For too long, New York's regulatory framework has placed unnecessary burdens on nonprofits, which are simply untenable during these challenging financial times," Attorney General Schneiderman said. "We must modernize the rules of the road so the nonprofit sector can thrive. We can be tougher on policing fraud without imposing needless burdens and costs on this vital sector of New York's economy."
Based on the key issues that the nonprofit sector has identified to the Attorney General's Office, the Leadership Committee's activities will focus on the following:
Making recommendations on how to reduce regulatory burdens and more effectively address regulatory concerns;
Developing legislative proposals to modernize New York's nonprofit laws that would eliminate outdated requirements and unnecessary burdens while strengthening accountability; and
Proposing measures to enhance board governance and effectiveness, including through new programs to recruit and train nonprofit board members.
The Leadership Committee will be staffed by the Attorney General's Charities Bureau Chief, Jason Lilien, and will be charged with completing its work by the end of this year.
Stay tuned to our emails, as NYCON will be seeking the input of all current members on its website at www.nycon.org beginning in August.
"I'm honored that Attorney General Schneiderman has asked us to bring NYCON's statewide perspective and expertise to this important collaborative effort," said Doug Sauer. "We're proud to represent 3,000 small to moderately sized member nonprofits who provide critical services in communities across New York. It's a testament to the Attorney General's initiative that he is seeking the input of these grass roots groups as he strives to help improve nonprofit efficiency, make oversight more effective and help increase the public's faith in our sector."
In addition to providing critical services to New Yorkers, nonprofits are also a driving economic force. Statewide, nonprofits employ between 17 and 18 percent of the workforce. In New York City alone nonprofits employ 500,000 people.
"For too long, New York's regulatory framework has placed unnecessary burdens on nonprofits, which are simply untenable during these challenging financial times," Attorney General Schneiderman said. "We must modernize the rules of the road so the nonprofit sector can thrive. We can be tougher on policing fraud without imposing needless burdens and costs on this vital sector of New York's economy."
Based on the key issues that the nonprofit sector has identified to the Attorney General's Office, the Leadership Committee's activities will focus on the following:
Making recommendations on how to reduce regulatory burdens and more effectively address regulatory concerns;
Developing legislative proposals to modernize New York's nonprofit laws that would eliminate outdated requirements and unnecessary burdens while strengthening accountability; and
Proposing measures to enhance board governance and effectiveness, including through new programs to recruit and train nonprofit board members.
The Leadership Committee will be staffed by the Attorney General's Charities Bureau Chief, Jason Lilien, and will be charged with completing its work by the end of this year.
Stay tuned to our emails, as NYCON will be seeking the input of all current members on its website at www.nycon.org beginning in August.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Communities working together can save Herkimer
The Little Falls Times reported that the Herkimer Home State Historic Site is closed through at least April 1, and is slated to remain closed not only for the entire 2011 operating season, but permanently.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2011-12 budget proposal cuts Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation spending by more than eight percent, from $228 million to $209 million. The proposal does not include any funding for Herkimer Home, which needs roughly $320,000 to remain open.
“It would be a shame to lose the site,” Little Falls Mayor Robert Peters said during a telephone interview on Monday. Peters was one of 40 people to meet at the home of American Revolutionary War hero Gen. Nicholas Herkimer last Wednesday to brainstorm how to keep the site operating. “It’s an important place to our community, and to other surrounding communities as well, and it would be a real tragedy to see it closed. We need to come together and prevent this from happening.”
Peters said he and other city and county officials discussed the matter prior to the Feb. 9 meeting and have continued discussing what they believe can be done to ensure the site will open in 2011.
“The city, should a group come forward and raise the money, or at least a portion of the money, needed to keep the site secure and to maintain it, would be willing to provide 10 hours a week from its Department of Public Works to maintain the building and grounds,” said Peters, who is also president of the Herkimer County Conference of Mayors. “I would hope other communities would follow the city’s lead and would come forward to provide similar services. In addition to maintaining the grounds, the city would also be willing to make any emergency repairs that would be needed.”
In an effort to draw increased attention to the historic home just outside of the city of Little Falls on State Route 169, and to bring in additional tourists, Peters said a “Taste of Little Falls” type event and Victorian fair could take place Labor Day weekend throughout the city and at the site.
“The food event would be held throughout the city on Friday, with the Victorian fair held at Herkimer Home on Saturday and Sunday,” said Peters. “An event like this would bring people to the city who might choose to stay at one of our places in town, eat at one of our restaurants or shop at one our stores. It would also draw people to the site and generate revenue for its operation.”
Assemblyman Marc Butler said during last Wednesday’s brainstorming session visitors to Herkimer Home generated about $6,800 in revenue in 2010, adding $30,000 of the site’s roughly $320,000 budget goes toward operational expenses, with the rest paying for salaries.
Butler also said last week a nonprofit group or surrounding municipality could sign a lease with the state, essentially forcing the local entity to maintain the site while the state maintains ownership.
“The assemblyman said the local group or municipality could then keep any profit generated from the site,” said Peters. “An agreement like that is something the city would be willing to explore with a group or another municipality. The city is also willing to extend water service to the site, which would provide water to a portion of the town of Danube. These are all things the city can do to improve the site and is willing to discuss as we collectively work to keep the site open in the years to come.”
Read more here.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2011-12 budget proposal cuts Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation spending by more than eight percent, from $228 million to $209 million. The proposal does not include any funding for Herkimer Home, which needs roughly $320,000 to remain open.
“It would be a shame to lose the site,” Little Falls Mayor Robert Peters said during a telephone interview on Monday. Peters was one of 40 people to meet at the home of American Revolutionary War hero Gen. Nicholas Herkimer last Wednesday to brainstorm how to keep the site operating. “It’s an important place to our community, and to other surrounding communities as well, and it would be a real tragedy to see it closed. We need to come together and prevent this from happening.”
Peters said he and other city and county officials discussed the matter prior to the Feb. 9 meeting and have continued discussing what they believe can be done to ensure the site will open in 2011.
“The city, should a group come forward and raise the money, or at least a portion of the money, needed to keep the site secure and to maintain it, would be willing to provide 10 hours a week from its Department of Public Works to maintain the building and grounds,” said Peters, who is also president of the Herkimer County Conference of Mayors. “I would hope other communities would follow the city’s lead and would come forward to provide similar services. In addition to maintaining the grounds, the city would also be willing to make any emergency repairs that would be needed.”
In an effort to draw increased attention to the historic home just outside of the city of Little Falls on State Route 169, and to bring in additional tourists, Peters said a “Taste of Little Falls” type event and Victorian fair could take place Labor Day weekend throughout the city and at the site.
“The food event would be held throughout the city on Friday, with the Victorian fair held at Herkimer Home on Saturday and Sunday,” said Peters. “An event like this would bring people to the city who might choose to stay at one of our places in town, eat at one of our restaurants or shop at one our stores. It would also draw people to the site and generate revenue for its operation.”
Assemblyman Marc Butler said during last Wednesday’s brainstorming session visitors to Herkimer Home generated about $6,800 in revenue in 2010, adding $30,000 of the site’s roughly $320,000 budget goes toward operational expenses, with the rest paying for salaries.
Butler also said last week a nonprofit group or surrounding municipality could sign a lease with the state, essentially forcing the local entity to maintain the site while the state maintains ownership.
“The assemblyman said the local group or municipality could then keep any profit generated from the site,” said Peters. “An agreement like that is something the city would be willing to explore with a group or another municipality. The city is also willing to extend water service to the site, which would provide water to a portion of the town of Danube. These are all things the city can do to improve the site and is willing to discuss as we collectively work to keep the site open in the years to come.”
Read more here.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Nonprofits Have Big Role in State
As Governor-Elect Andrew Cuomo and legislators shape their plans for New York next year, they should pay close attention to the state's vibrant not-for-profit sector, as it is the standard-bearer for innovation and service to the state and its people. The 80,000 not-for-profit organizations in the state play crucial roles: leading efforts to prevent or cure disease, alleviate poverty, advance education, address environmental and social concerns, and ennoble through culture.
New York's robust charitable sector, including such powerhouses as Columbia University, Sloan-Kettering, the Red Cross, the Ford Foundation and Lincoln Center, as well as community-based organizations, such as local drug-prevention programs, small community theaters and religion-based charities, help fuel the state's economy, generating over $150 billion in revenue annually and employing hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. Second in size only to the government as an employer in the city, the nonprofit sector provides more jobs than the financial and insurance industries combined.
Working together, state government and nonprofits can help maintain our state's primacy as innovator, incubator and magnet for investment. Here's how.
* Adjust taxes to encourage more giving. For example, reward taxpayers for increases in year-over-year charitable giving and incentivize artists to donate their work to charity auctions in support of good causes.
* Promote regulatory, administrative and legislative reforms that make it easier to start and operate nonprofits, especially in high-tech, medical research and green industries.
* Encourage and facilitate partnering among nonprofits and between them and for-profit businesses. For instance, provide a clearinghouse so that environmental groups can pair up with green-tech businesses or so arts-in-education organizations can collaborate with founders of charter schools.
* Incentivize nonprofits to hire recent college graduates to fill needed roles while they learn important lessons about professional development and social responsibility.
* Rearrange state budgets with existing charitable resources in mind. For example, recalibrate school aid and Medicaid expenditures so that public spending on students, the elderly and the disabled complements and stimulates private nonprofit resources and support.
* Safeguard against encroachments on sales- or property-tax -exemptions, which would hurt already-stretched hospitals, elder-care facilities and YMCAs.
* Promote visibility for worthy nonprofits by providing voluntary check-offs on state tax forms.
* Include nonprofit destinations in the state's promotion of tourism and convention activity.
* Make nonprofits part of New York's federal lobbying strategy.
The public's trust in state government may be at a low ebb, but public support for nonprofits endures. By recommitting himself to the well-being of our valuable nonprofit institutions, Mr. Cuomo can take important steps toward reclaiming the state's role as a national beacon and perpetuate its highest ideals.
by Lesley Freidman Rosenthal, for original article click here.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Call for Action on Change to Charitable Deductions
NYCON has added it's voice to those of other nonprofit leaders taking a stand against the proposed change to charitable deductions for high income individuals in New York State.
The proposal would result in a 50% decrease in the deductibility of charitable gifts from higher income donors. Already, earners of $1 million or more can only claim 50% of their contribution as a deduction. This proposal would allow donors earning $10 million or more to claim just 25% of their contribution. NYCON is also concerned that this may potentially be the start of eroding charitable deductions in general.
We are urging our members to learn more about this proposal by reading the following articles by the New York Nonprofit Press, The Daily News, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Then, please join us in adding your voice to the memo of opposition by contacting us via email or calling Doug Sauer, CEO at (800) 515-5012 ext. 103.
Contact NYCON and sign onto the Memo of Opposition.
Contact your Senator. Click here for a searchable database of representatives.
The proposal would result in a 50% decrease in the deductibility of charitable gifts from higher income donors. Already, earners of $1 million or more can only claim 50% of their contribution as a deduction. This proposal would allow donors earning $10 million or more to claim just 25% of their contribution. NYCON is also concerned that this may potentially be the start of eroding charitable deductions in general.
We are urging our members to learn more about this proposal by reading the following articles by the New York Nonprofit Press, The Daily News, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Then, please join us in adding your voice to the memo of opposition by contacting us via email or calling Doug Sauer, CEO at (800) 515-5012 ext. 103.
Contact NYCON and sign onto the Memo of Opposition.
Contact your Senator. Click here for a searchable database of representatives.
Charitable Deductions Change Will Hurt Giving
NYCON has added it's voice to those of other nonprofit leaders taking a stand against the proposed change to charitable deductions for high income individuals in New York State.
The proposal would result in a 50% decrease in the deductibility of charitable gifts from higher income donors. Already, earners of $1 million or more can only claim 50% of their contribution as a deduction. This proposal would allow donors earning $10 million or more to claim just 25% of their contribution. NYCON is also concerned that this may potentially be the start of eroding charitable deductions in general.
We are urging our members to learn more about this proposal by reading the following articles by the New York Nonprofit Press, The Daily News, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Then, please join us in adding your voice to the memo of opposition by contacting us via email or calling Doug Sauer, CEO at (800) 515-5012 ext. 103.
Contact NYCON and sign onto the Memo of Opposition.
Contact your Senator. Click here for a searchable database of representatives.
The proposal would result in a 50% decrease in the deductibility of charitable gifts from higher income donors. Already, earners of $1 million or more can only claim 50% of their contribution as a deduction. This proposal would allow donors earning $10 million or more to claim just 25% of their contribution. NYCON is also concerned that this may potentially be the start of eroding charitable deductions in general.
We are urging our members to learn more about this proposal by reading the following articles by the New York Nonprofit Press, The Daily News, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Then, please join us in adding your voice to the memo of opposition by contacting us via email or calling Doug Sauer, CEO at (800) 515-5012 ext. 103.
Contact NYCON and sign onto the Memo of Opposition.
Contact your Senator. Click here for a searchable database of representatives.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Oneida and Herkimer Impacted by NYS Parks and Historic Site Closures
The Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) today put forward a recommended list of closures and service reductions in order to achieve its 2010-11 agency savings target and help address the State's historic fiscal difficulties.
Governor David A. Paterson issued the following statement:
"New York faces an historic fiscal crisis of unprecedented magnitude. It has demanded many difficult but necessary decisions to help ensure the fiscal integrity of our State. The unfortunate reality of closing an $8.2 billion deficit is that there is less money available for many worthy services and programs. In an environment when we have to cut funding to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and social services, no area of State spending, including parks and historic sites, could be exempt from reductions. We cannot mortgage our State's financial future through further gimmicks or avoidance behavior. Spending cuts, however difficult, are needed in order to put New York on the road to fiscal recovery. Going forward through the budget process, I look forward to a productive dialogue with the Legislature on parks and historic sites, as well as other issues."
OPRHP Commissioner Carol Ash issued the following statement:
"The 2010-11 Executive Budget included reductions to every area of State spending. As such, the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation has today put forward proposed closures and service reductions to meet its agency savings target. These actions were not recommended lightly, but they are necessary to address our State's extraordinary fiscal difficulties."
###
A fact sheet on the proposed closures and service reductions is included below:
The Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) today put forward a list of closures and service reductions in order to achieve its proposed 2010-11 agency savings target and help address the State's historic fiscal difficulties. As part of a comprehensive plan to close an $8.2 billion deficit, the 2010-11 Executive Budget included necessary cost reductions to each executive State agency, as well as cuts to education, health care, social services, and every other area of State spending.
OPRHP's plan includes the closure of 41 parks and 14 historic sites, and service reductions at 23 parks and 1 historic site.
The plan also assumes $4 million in park and historic site fee increases that will be identified at a later date, and the use of $5 million in funds from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to finance OPRHP operations. These two actions were part of the 21-day amendments to the Executive Budget and are intended to reduce the number of parks and historic sites subject to closures and service reductions.
Specific recommended closures and service reductions are detailed here.
Governor David A. Paterson issued the following statement:
"New York faces an historic fiscal crisis of unprecedented magnitude. It has demanded many difficult but necessary decisions to help ensure the fiscal integrity of our State. The unfortunate reality of closing an $8.2 billion deficit is that there is less money available for many worthy services and programs. In an environment when we have to cut funding to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and social services, no area of State spending, including parks and historic sites, could be exempt from reductions. We cannot mortgage our State's financial future through further gimmicks or avoidance behavior. Spending cuts, however difficult, are needed in order to put New York on the road to fiscal recovery. Going forward through the budget process, I look forward to a productive dialogue with the Legislature on parks and historic sites, as well as other issues."
OPRHP Commissioner Carol Ash issued the following statement:
"The 2010-11 Executive Budget included reductions to every area of State spending. As such, the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation has today put forward proposed closures and service reductions to meet its agency savings target. These actions were not recommended lightly, but they are necessary to address our State's extraordinary fiscal difficulties."
###
A fact sheet on the proposed closures and service reductions is included below:
The Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) today put forward a list of closures and service reductions in order to achieve its proposed 2010-11 agency savings target and help address the State's historic fiscal difficulties. As part of a comprehensive plan to close an $8.2 billion deficit, the 2010-11 Executive Budget included necessary cost reductions to each executive State agency, as well as cuts to education, health care, social services, and every other area of State spending.
OPRHP's plan includes the closure of 41 parks and 14 historic sites, and service reductions at 23 parks and 1 historic site.
The plan also assumes $4 million in park and historic site fee increases that will be identified at a later date, and the use of $5 million in funds from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to finance OPRHP operations. These two actions were part of the 21-day amendments to the Executive Budget and are intended to reduce the number of parks and historic sites subject to closures and service reductions.
Specific recommended closures and service reductions are detailed here.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Several Elected Officials to attend Community Forum
The Genesis Group and The Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley present the,
4th Annual Regional Community Forum
on Thursday January 21st - 7:30am at The Radisson Hotel Utica Centre
Cost - $20.00 per person
This Community Forum will provide a valuable opportunity for officials to hear the thoughts and concerns from a variety of
geographic areas and jurisdictional levels.
Each year, Genesis brings together our areas Elected Officials to focus on the issues facing our region and to discuss their goals for the new year.
Participating in the forum are officials from federal, state, county and local levels of government;
Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito
Assemblyman Marc Butler
Senator Joseph Griffo
Senator James Seward
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente
Rome Mayor James Brown
Utica Mayor David Roefaro
New Hartford Town Supervisor Patrick Tyksinski
New Hartford Village Mayor Donald Ryan
Dolgeville Mayor Bruce Lyon
Joseph Johnson (District Director), representing Congressman Michael Arcuri
Troy Waffner (Legislative Director), representing Senator David Valesky
Jennifer Muthig, (Regional Representative for Governor David Paterson)
Make your reservation today by contacting Genesis Executive DirectorRay Durso, Jr.,
by calling 792.7187 or via this email, info@TheGenesisGroup.org
The Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley includes the chambers of Boonville, Camden, Clinton, Herkimer County,
Kuyahoora Valley, Marcy, New Hartford, Rome and Trenton.
The Genesis Group, now celebrating its 10th Anniversary, was founded in December
2000 by a group of community leaders who believed it was time to transform the Mohawk Valley into a vital region where positive economic, social and quality of life changes are possible. Today, The Genesis Group is a vibrant association working to advance regional economic, social and cultural interest and to foster regional unity and cooperation.
4th Annual Regional Community Forum
on Thursday January 21st - 7:30am at The Radisson Hotel Utica Centre
Cost - $20.00 per person
This Community Forum will provide a valuable opportunity for officials to hear the thoughts and concerns from a variety of
geographic areas and jurisdictional levels.
Each year, Genesis brings together our areas Elected Officials to focus on the issues facing our region and to discuss their goals for the new year.
Participating in the forum are officials from federal, state, county and local levels of government;
Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito
Assemblyman Marc Butler
Senator Joseph Griffo
Senator James Seward
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente
Rome Mayor James Brown
Utica Mayor David Roefaro
New Hartford Town Supervisor Patrick Tyksinski
New Hartford Village Mayor Donald Ryan
Dolgeville Mayor Bruce Lyon
Joseph Johnson (District Director), representing Congressman Michael Arcuri
Troy Waffner (Legislative Director), representing Senator David Valesky
Jennifer Muthig, (Regional Representative for Governor David Paterson)
Make your reservation today by contacting Genesis Executive DirectorRay Durso, Jr.,
by calling 792.7187 or via this email, info@TheGenesisGroup.org
The Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley includes the chambers of Boonville, Camden, Clinton, Herkimer County,
Kuyahoora Valley, Marcy, New Hartford, Rome and Trenton.
The Genesis Group, now celebrating its 10th Anniversary, was founded in December
2000 by a group of community leaders who believed it was time to transform the Mohawk Valley into a vital region where positive economic, social and quality of life changes are possible. Today, The Genesis Group is a vibrant association working to advance regional economic, social and cultural interest and to foster regional unity and cooperation.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Genesis Group Forwards Invitation to a Major Announcement
To: Genesis Members and Regional Partners
Fr: Raymond J. Durso, Jr., Executive Director
The Genesis Group, at the request of Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito, is forwarding you an invitation to a press conference on Wednesday July 15th - 10:30am at SUNYIT. We hope your schedule will allow you to attend this very important announcement.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I along with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, joined by Governor David Paterson are pleased to invite you to an exciting announcement of significant technological and economic significance to Utica –Rome and the entire Upstate region. The event will be attended by Congressman Michael Arcuri, leaders from across the academic, business, technology, corporate and economic outreach communities.
The announcement will be made July 15, 2009 at 10:30 AM at State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) Utica- Rome, in the Peter Cayan Library.
Please contact my office at 732-1055 or at destitr@assembly.state.ny.us to let us know that you can attend. Join us and show your support for this innovative partnership that will create new jobs and additional high technology opportunities for our community.
Cordially,
RoAnn M. Destito
Member of Assembly
Fr: Raymond J. Durso, Jr., Executive Director
The Genesis Group, at the request of Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito, is forwarding you an invitation to a press conference on Wednesday July 15th - 10:30am at SUNYIT. We hope your schedule will allow you to attend this very important announcement.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I along with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, joined by Governor David Paterson are pleased to invite you to an exciting announcement of significant technological and economic significance to Utica –Rome and the entire Upstate region. The event will be attended by Congressman Michael Arcuri, leaders from across the academic, business, technology, corporate and economic outreach communities.
The announcement will be made July 15, 2009 at 10:30 AM at State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) Utica- Rome, in the Peter Cayan Library.
Please contact my office at 732-1055 or at destitr@assembly.state.ny.us to let us know that you can attend. Join us and show your support for this innovative partnership that will create new jobs and additional high technology opportunities for our community.
Cordially,
RoAnn M. Destito
Member of Assembly
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
State often late in getting funds to local nonprofits
The Utica OD reported on a recent report released by the state's Comptroller's Office that highlights the lengthy waiting time nonprofits face for state funds.
Nonprofits can wait months or even years, depending on the state agency that is responsible for the funding, officials said.
Examples in the report include:
Nonprofits can wait months or even years, depending on the state agency that is responsible for the funding, officials said.
Examples in the report include:
- The state was 1,624 days late -- or nearly 4 ½ years – in getting $75,000 in funds for general operating support and multicultural outreach to the Utica Symphony.
- The state delayed getting $140,000 in contracts to the Herkimer Area Resource Center for 597 days.
- Utica College had to wait 709 days for $675,000 in funds for a new building.
- And the delay in getting $200,000 to Mohawk Valley EDGE to fight the New York Regional Interconnect power line? Nearly 1,200 days, or more than three years.
“There is a lot of time from commitment to contract,” said Steve DiMeo, executive director of Mohawk Valley EDGE, an economic development agency. “It’s a difficult way to do business when various bureaucracies take different amounts of time to distribute funds.”
DiMeo said the way the state processes paper is part of the problem. “In the interest of transparency, more and more departments have to sign off on contracts,” DiMeo said. “It’s gotten a lot worse. The state can do a far better job in terms of streamlining things.”
State agencies report that state contracts with nonprofit organizations were approved late 63 percent of the time. The new audit by the Comptroller’s Office, however, shows the rate of late contracts might reach 87 percent.
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is proposing regulations to ensure nonprofits are paid interest required by law when their contracts are processed late.
“Not-for-profits operate on very thin margins,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “Those margins can disappear completely when contracts for services are held up. New York has an implicit compact with these organizations. They provide vital services for vulnerable New Yorkers and the state should ensure they get their funding on time. It’s time for the state to live up to its end of the bargain.”
The Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York had to wait 377 days for $75,000 worth of funds to assist and represent indigent persons in civil matters.
“The high numbers are not surprising,” said Executive Director Paul Lupia said. “It makes it very difficult to plan financially, and for us to have a balanced budget.”
“Even though you know the money is coming, you still have to pay staff and all of your bills,” Lupia said. “The delay does affect our cash flow severely.”
William Holicky is executive director of The House of the Good Shepherd, which had to wait 272 days for $150,000 worth of funding.
“This is nothing new for nonprofits,” Holicky said. “When we have to wait a long time, we might have to borrow money, and interest adds up”
Nonprofits provide services through grant contracts, such as health care clinics, work force development and mortgage foreclosure programs. The state currently has 30,764 active contracts with nonprofits totaling $14.6 billion. Read more here.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Some CNY agencies are forced to make cuts while waiting for state money
The Syracuse Post-Standard and Utica OD reported that late payments have become such a problem that some nonprofits have had to lay off workers.
This is the case with Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, which covers Oneida and Herkimer counties. Workers who were hired there to do weatherization work through a state contract were cut when the promised money was delayed.
"That contract was supposed to start April 1," said agency Executive Director Amy Turner.
"The weatherization contract is late, so we ended up laying off 15 guys last week. We hope to have them back within a month," she said.
This is the case with Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, which covers Oneida and Herkimer counties. Workers who were hired there to do weatherization work through a state contract were cut when the promised money was delayed.
"That contract was supposed to start April 1," said agency Executive Director Amy Turner.
"The weatherization contract is late, so we ended up laying off 15 guys last week. We hope to have them back within a month," she said.
Expanded NYS Government Accountability Website
The OD reported on Sunlight 2.0, the revamped, expanded government accountability Web site by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office.
“We feel that all of you will have a real connection to Project Sunlight,” Marmelstein said.
The new Web site — sunlightny.org — is more comprehensive than its predecessor, including adding information about state authorities and campaign contributions.
For instance, Oneida County has 350 levels of local government, according to an interactive map on the Web site. The map also offers a breakdown of those levels. Each search offers the following categories to explore:
“We feel that all of you will have a real connection to Project Sunlight,” Marmelstein said.
The new Web site — sunlightny.org — is more comprehensive than its predecessor, including adding information about state authorities and campaign contributions.
For instance, Oneida County has 350 levels of local government, according to an interactive map on the Web site. The map also offers a breakdown of those levels. Each search offers the following categories to explore:
- NYS Campaign Finance
- Lobbyist State Corporations
- Member Items
- Charities
- State Contracts
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente attended the session and praised the Web site’s effort at increased government transparency.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
SeeThroughNY website offers nonprofits information
SeeThroughNY gives New Yorkers a clearer view of how their state and local tax dollars are spent. This site is sponsored by the Empire Center for New York State Policy, part of the non-partisan and non-profit Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
SeeThroughNY is a web portal designed to become the hub of a statewide network through which taxpayers can share, analyze and compare data from counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and public authorities throughout New York. You can search government payrolls, contracts, expenditures, and links to additional information and supporting material on other websites. For example, search your village or city to see what member items were awarded or benchmark your village, city or county against others. This is a great resource for nonprofits, and could be helpful in articulating region-specific needs.
SeeThroughNY is a web portal designed to become the hub of a statewide network through which taxpayers can share, analyze and compare data from counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and public authorities throughout New York. You can search government payrolls, contracts, expenditures, and links to additional information and supporting material on other websites. For example, search your village or city to see what member items were awarded or benchmark your village, city or county against others. This is a great resource for nonprofits, and could be helpful in articulating region-specific needs.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
State Budget Agreement Offers Relief to Human Services Sector
The New York Nonprofit Press offered the following story in reaction to the NYS budget agreement announced:
Human service advocates and providers were generally pleased and relieved with the New York State budget agreement announced yesterday for Fiscal Year 2009-10 which begins on Wednesday, April 1st. The agreement by Governor David A. Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver closed the largest budget gap in State history -- $17.7 billion over two years -- through a combination of Federal stimulus funding ($6.2 billion), increases in taxes and fees ($5.2 billion) and cuts to state spending ($6.5 billion).
The final budget restores approximately $3 billion of the $9 billion in cuts which were originally proposed by Governor Paterson as part of his Executive Budget submission in December.
Approximately two thirds -- $254 million -- of the Executive Budget’s proposed cuts to human service programs were restored in the agreement. Among the wide range of programs which were entirely or partially restored were homeless prevention, refugee resettlement and Community Optional Preventive programs.
Significant restorations were made in the area of youth services, where a proposal to combine several youth development and juvenile justice-related funding streams into a single Youth Services Block was scrapped. The remaining budget reductions for several of the individual block grant components – Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention Program (YDDP), Special Delinquency Prevention Program (SDDP) and Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) – appear to be less severe , perhaps 10% -- than originally proposed. Funding for Advantage AfterSchool and Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) were also fully restored.
In a similar victory, Child Care funding was once again separated from the Flexible Fund for Family Service block grant.
Additional details regarding both restorations and remaining service cuts were not yet available as advocates continued to review the maze of budget bills being prepared for legislative approval.
Despite the relief over specific programmatic restorations, advocates noted the negative impacts which the budget will have for many service areas.
“It only looks good in comparison with how bad it could have been,” said Ronald Soloway, Managing Director of Government Relations at UJA-Federation of New York. “Hospitals, nursing homes and home care agencies still took considerable cuts and the mental health, MRDD and substance abuse providers are not getting back everything we would have wanted to see restored.”
Human service advocates and providers were generally pleased and relieved with the New York State budget agreement announced yesterday for Fiscal Year 2009-10 which begins on Wednesday, April 1st. The agreement by Governor David A. Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver closed the largest budget gap in State history -- $17.7 billion over two years -- through a combination of Federal stimulus funding ($6.2 billion), increases in taxes and fees ($5.2 billion) and cuts to state spending ($6.5 billion).
The final budget restores approximately $3 billion of the $9 billion in cuts which were originally proposed by Governor Paterson as part of his Executive Budget submission in December.
Approximately two thirds -- $254 million -- of the Executive Budget’s proposed cuts to human service programs were restored in the agreement. Among the wide range of programs which were entirely or partially restored were homeless prevention, refugee resettlement and Community Optional Preventive programs.
Significant restorations were made in the area of youth services, where a proposal to combine several youth development and juvenile justice-related funding streams into a single Youth Services Block was scrapped. The remaining budget reductions for several of the individual block grant components – Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention Program (YDDP), Special Delinquency Prevention Program (SDDP) and Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) – appear to be less severe , perhaps 10% -- than originally proposed. Funding for Advantage AfterSchool and Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) were also fully restored.
In a similar victory, Child Care funding was once again separated from the Flexible Fund for Family Service block grant.
Additional details regarding both restorations and remaining service cuts were not yet available as advocates continued to review the maze of budget bills being prepared for legislative approval.
Despite the relief over specific programmatic restorations, advocates noted the negative impacts which the budget will have for many service areas.
“It only looks good in comparison with how bad it could have been,” said Ronald Soloway, Managing Director of Government Relations at UJA-Federation of New York. “Hospitals, nursing homes and home care agencies still took considerable cuts and the mental health, MRDD and substance abuse providers are not getting back everything we would have wanted to see restored.”
Gov., legislative leaders release $131.8B budget
Gov. David Paterson and legislative leaders have finalized a balanced state budget that increases spending by 9 percent and includes roughly $7 billion in higher taxes.
State legislators are expected to vote on the budget this week. The state’s next fiscal year starts April 1.
The $131.8 billion budget, printed over the weekend, erases an estimated $17.7 billion deficit, the largest in state history. It includes a record-high $6.5 billion in spending cuts, including record reductions in health care spending and an overhaul of the state’s Empire Zone tax credit program.
The budget also:
• will lead to higher utility bills for businesses by adding more than $600 million in higher taxes on electric, gas, water and telephone companies
• maintains Paterson’s proposal to cut 8,900 state jobs this summer, saving $481 million in salary and health care expenses
• raises taxes on for-profit health maintenance organizations by $107 million
• cancels planned reimbursement rate adjustments for hospitals and nursing homes that would have accounted for inflation, totaling $230 million
Read more here.
State legislators are expected to vote on the budget this week. The state’s next fiscal year starts April 1.
The $131.8 billion budget, printed over the weekend, erases an estimated $17.7 billion deficit, the largest in state history. It includes a record-high $6.5 billion in spending cuts, including record reductions in health care spending and an overhaul of the state’s Empire Zone tax credit program.
The budget also:
• will lead to higher utility bills for businesses by adding more than $600 million in higher taxes on electric, gas, water and telephone companies
• maintains Paterson’s proposal to cut 8,900 state jobs this summer, saving $481 million in salary and health care expenses
• raises taxes on for-profit health maintenance organizations by $107 million
• cancels planned reimbursement rate adjustments for hospitals and nursing homes that would have accounted for inflation, totaling $230 million
Read more here.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Local Nonprofits See Funding Yanked
There have been recent concerns raised among Oneida and Herkimer nonprofits about some recent cases of funding being pulled by New York State funders. If your nonprofit has faced this situation or been impacted, please share your feedback here or by e-mail.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
State cabinet to oversee distribution of federal recovery funds
Gov. David Paterson today announced the creation of a special cabinet to manage projects financed through the upcoming federal economic stimulus package.
The cabinet will work to make sure federal dollars are distributed equally to all parts of New York. The group is also responsible for resolving problems, such as permits or regulatory approvals, so projects can move forward. Read more here.
The cabinet will work to make sure federal dollars are distributed equally to all parts of New York. The group is also responsible for resolving problems, such as permits or regulatory approvals, so projects can move forward. Read more here.
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