New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed two bills that will eliminate more than 120 inactive public authorities.
The two bills repeal the statutory authorization for approximately 95 urban renewal and industrial agencies and 28 local public authorities that are either defunct, were never ultimately established by local law, or are no longer needed to carry out the public function for which they were formed.
“Since taking office, my administration has worked to make government more efficient and accountable to taxpayers, including doing more with less and finding ways to reduce the costs facing localities,” Cuomo said.
“Given that these authorities and agencies no longer serve the public interest, it only makes sense to do away with them for good,” he said.
The affected authorities have no outstanding debt or other obligations, and the law transfers any of the remaining records and rights to the municipality where each is located.
Both laws will take effect in 60 days from when the bill was signed on Aug. 16.
The Authorities Budget Office worked with the Governor’s Office, the Commission on Public Authority Reform and the Legislature to identify these entities before drafting legislation to officially dissolve them.
The ABO, created to increase the accountability and transparency of public authorities,
This year, the amount of public authorities in New York has reached 533, according to the ABO.
Some of the agencies to be dissolved include the Long Beach Urban Renewal Agency, the Monroe Parking Authority, the Southampton Industrial Development Agency and the Long Island Job Development Authority.
