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Funding Available: Up to $4 Million

DESCRIPTION

For the 2015-2016 program year $4 million is available under the Local Government Efficiency (LGE) Grant program to assist local leaders identify best practices and implement actions focused on reducing municipal expenditures, limiting the growth in property taxes and increasing efficiencies in service delivery. Projects can include local government reorganization, functional or service delivery consolidation, city or county charter revisions that include functional consolidation, cooperative service agreements, and establishment of regional service delivery mechanisms.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Local government efficiency projects must implement new opportunities for financial savings or exhibit great potential to modernize existing services. Additional benefits may include improving organization or management structures or improving public access to services.

Generally local governments must apply cooperatively for an LGE grant. However, in certain instances the program can provide direct assistance to fiscally stressed local governments to implement internal reorganizations or service delivery modifications.

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES / PROGRAM FUNDING:

Local governments may apply for implementation planning and implementation projects.

• The maximum funding for planning, or the planning component of a project that includes both planning and implementation, is $12,500 for each local government involved in the project, not to exceed $100,000.

• The total maximum cumulative funding for a project is $200,000 for each local government involved in the project, not to exceed $1,000,000.

Applicants are required to provide matching funds for all projects.

• For a planning grant, matching funds equal to at least 50% of the total project cost shall be required. Upon implementation, the original matching funds required will be refunded up to 90% of the eligible costs.

• For an implementation project, matching funds equal to at least 10% of the total project cost shall be required.

All grants are reimbursement grants. In order to receive full funding, the awardees must demonstrate that the project has received all appropriate public consideration, referenda where required.

For projects that implement a previously funded planning grant under the Local Government Efficiency (LGE) Grant program or the Shared Municipal Services Incentive (SMSI) program, the grant award from this RFA will be increased by the amount of the local matching funds provided for the planning grant.

PRE-APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: None

162 SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS:

The Department of State requires that all successful applicants enter into a contract with the State of New York. The contract will be a fixed term agreement and will be dated April 1, 2015 – March 31, 2019. The Department of State may cancel an award if the state contract is not returned in a timely manner.

If an applicant is awarded a grant, the contract must be returned to the Department of State within ninety (90) days from its receipt to ensure that funds go to applicants that are ready to move forward. All projects must be managed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the state contract and follow state and local procurement policies.

Failure to render satisfactory progress or to complete the project to the satisfaction of the state may be deemed an abandonment of the project and may cause the suspension or termination of any financial obligation of the state. Satisfactory progress includes, but is not limited to, execution of the state contract and submission of all necessary documents for execution by the state, submitting timely payment requests in accordance with the payment schedule in the state contract, completing satisfactory work products, and other tasks negotiated and agreed to in the executed state contract. Expenses incurred after April 1, 2015 are eligible for reimbursement. Expenses incurred prior to the start date of the state contract cannot be reimbursed. The grant contractor will be required to submit payment requests every three (3) months.

Recipients of grants must submit project status reports along with every request for payment. Project close-out requires completion of terms and activities outlined in the state contract, including all deliverables identified in the work plan.

The New York Department of State Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) staff monitors each grant and will make site visits during the course of project completion to determine the rate and quality of progress. Notification of contract related meeting schedules and other media events must be provided to DLGS staff. In addition, some projects may be selected for more extensive review and inclusion in the Local Government Efficiency Annual Report submitted to the Governor and Legislature, and may be used as a resource for providing technical assistance.

INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES:

For this application, projects shall not include plans for a local government re-organization eligible to receive a funding pursuant to the New York Department of State Local Government Citizens Re- Organization Empowerment Grant (CREG). CREG can assist those local governments that are developing plans for consolidation or dissolution pursuant to the terms of General Municipal Law 17- A, the “New N.Y. Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act”. CREG funding is available on a monthly basis. Please visit the LGE program website at http://www.dos.ny.gov/funding/ for more information on submitting a CREG grant.

163 PROJECT SELECTION CRITERIA:

An application is eligible to receive a total final score of 100, of which 80 percent is derived from program review criteria and 20 percent is allocated to the applicable Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) endorsement.

Application of LGE program score

• Each application will be judged on an initial scale of 100 points to establish a program base score. The final program score will then be multiplied by a factor of 0.8 (100 x 0.8 = 80 points) to determine the final LGE program score.

Application of Regional Economic Development Council score

• Each REDC may award up to 20 points for each project, based upon the project’s concurrency with the regional priorities.

LGE Program Base Scoring Criteria (Up to 100 points)

Priorities (Possible 20 points)

• The project implements the functional consolidation of a local government service (5 points) • The project received funds through other state community and infrastructure development

programs; supports multi-agency funding for the benefit of all local governments, NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program Plan, green infrastructure or nature-based water systems, projects supporting Veterans, a Countywide Resiliency Plan or projects identified by the Opportunity Agenda.. (5 points)

• The project implements a planning project completed with SMSI or LGE funds. (5 points) • Any of the project partners uses multi-year financial planning. (5 points)

The following numerical evaluation scale will be used to assess the degree to which the application meets the grant criteria set forth below.

• Fully meets program criteria 5 points

• Partially meets program criteria 3 points • Marginally meets program criteria 1 point

• Does not meet criteria 0 points Project Need (Possible 5 points)

• Significance of existing conditions that created the need for the project, including unplanned increases in local expenditures or other financial challenges, recent

requirements to modify existing service delivery or changes in the municipal workforce. Cost Savings - (Possible 5 points)

• How much savings, as percentage of budget, will be generated by the completion of the project?

Potential Tax Levy Impact (Possible 5 points)

• How the action may affect the property tax levy. Performance Measurement (Possible 5 points)

• How continued performance of the project is measured to determine the future effectiveness of the project after implementation.

164 Operational Impacts (Possible 5 points)

• How the project will change current business practices or management operations associated with the impacted services.

Future Investment (Possible 5 points)

• How the fiscal benefits and outcomes realized by the project will stimulate investment in other relevant local government efforts.

Service Delivery Impact (Possible 5 points)

• How the project will make significant impacts on the delivery of services and how the public will be affected by the project.

Project/Partner Readiness (Possible 5 points)

• What actions have already been undertaken that commit the local governments to complete the project.

Sustainability (Possible 5 points)

• How the local governments will institutionalize the organizational and/or service delivery changes.

Public Engagement (Possible 5 points)

• How the project ensures ongoing transparency, public participation and stakeholder engagement.

Work Plan Detail (Possible 5 Points)

• Clarity and detail of the work plan, including the project timeline, specific phases and associated tasks, and deliverables.

Work Plan Feasibility (Possible 5 Points)

• Feasibility of the work plan to complete the project within the scope and timeline. Budget and Costs Determination (Possible 5 Points)

• How the budget and costs were determined. Budget Detail and Adequacy (Possible 5 Points)

• How the budget includes adequate detail for all project tasks and components involved, is cost-effective, presents necessary and realistic costs, and does not contain

extraneous expenses.

Budget Relationship with Work Plan (Possible 5 Points)

• How costs relate to and support activities in the proposed work plan. Expense Eligibility (Possible 5 Points)

• How expenses meet eligibility requirements of the program. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: http://www.dos.ny.gov/lg/lge/index.html

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