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State approves more aid to villages, towns, but not much

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2024 at 11:49 am

Local governments pushed for more AIM allotments, which hadn’t increased in 15 years

The new state budget gives towns, villages and cities more unrestricted aid, but it’s not much.

The state hadn’t increased the Aid and Incentives to Municipalities for about 15 years. The new budget keeps AIM at $715 million, but makes a 7 percent increase or another $50 million in “New Temporary Municipal Assistance.”

Many of the local governments around the state, including in Orleans County, passed formal resolutions in February and March asking for a boost in AIM.

The governments around the state were seeking significantly more – about $1.1 billion in total to keep up with the cost of inflation after more than a decade of no increases.

Little of the AIM funding comes to Orleans County because there isn’t a city in the county. About 90 percent of the total in AIM goes to cities. Of the $715 million total, cities get $647,093,629 or 90.5 percent, towns are allocated $47.9 million or 6.7 percent and villages get $19.7 million or 2.8 percent.

Here are the amounts approved for the local governments in Orleans County, with the AIM funding plus the new amounts in “Temporary Municipal Assistance.”

Towns

  • Albion, $46,944 plus $3,284
  • Barre, $12,486 plus $873
  • Carlton, $13,680 plus $957
  • Clarendon, $11,416 plus $799
  • Gaines, $21,323 plus $1,492
  • Kendall, $21,299 plus $1,490
  • Murray, $44,677 plus $3,125
  • Ridgeway, $46,273 plus $3,237
  • Shelby, $45,007 plus $3,149
  • Yates, $10,421 plus $729

Villages

  • Albion 38,811 plus $2,715
  • Holley 17,786 plus $1,244
  • Lyndonville 6,251 plus $437
  • Medina 45,523 plus $3,185

Barbara Van Epps, executive director of the New York State Conference of Mayors, said the organization appreciates a funding boost, and she thanked the many local governments for passing resolutions, meeting with state legislators and pushing for more money to help offset some of the inflationary increases faced by municipalities.

“NYCOM is happy to report that after 15 years, the Adopted State Budget includes an additional $50 million in unrestricted state aid for cities, villages and towns,” she said in a statement. “While this may not translate into significant dollars for all of our members, we do see this as a positive step forward and hopefully the beginning of a stronger and more meaningful state-local partnership.”