Intergovernmental Collaboration in Ulster County - Shared Services

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

Ulster County has roads that are maintained by local municipalities, the county, and NYS in the same or similar fashions. However, for residents, tourists, and commuters, despite their being managed by different levels of government, these roads are all part of a single network. The resulting sprawl pattern created by an influx of residents in the past 50 years continues to challenge the county’s ability to provide cost efficient services to the more rural areas. New York State Highway Law provides authorization for the County to enter into inter-municipal agreements with towns for the maintenance of County roads and for the county to lease its highway machinery, tools, or equipment to towns for the purpose of maintaining County roads, subject to approval by resolution of both the County legislature and the respective town board. The Intergovernmental Collaboration in Ulster County – Shared Services Initiative is Ulster County’s first major effort to begin sharing services. To date, six of Ulster’s twenty towns are participating in the Highway Shared Services initiative. This is expected to be a win/win for both the County and the towns, as the County should be putting fewer resources towards plowing than it has in previous years, and the towns should be getting more than enough funding from the County to make the added workload worth their while.