RENSSELAER COUNTY, NEW YORK
COUNTY-WIDE SHARED SERVICES INITIATIVE PLAN

Laberge Group was retained by Rensselaer County to partner on the development of a County-Wide Shared Services Property Tax Savings Plan. The Plan was undertaken in response to the New York State County-Wide Shared Services Initiative (CWSSI) which requires county officials to deliver property tax savings by eliminating duplicative services and coordinating purchasing power. Through formal and informal agreements, Rensselaer County had already embarked on service sharing among its villages, towns, and cities as a means of increasing efficiency. This Plan was developed to expand these tax-savings initiatives, identify additional savings opportunities, and prescribe implementation steps for specific government efficiency initiatives.

Property Tax Savings Plan development included:

• Detailed data review of municipal and County fiscal information and service provision.
• Collaboration with County and municipal elected officials and leadership, as well as stakeholders, including a 2-day on-site “Partners Summit.”
• Development of the County-wide Shared Services Property Tax Savings Plan.
• Implementation of input derived from extensive public participation outreach and collaboration with the Shared Services Panel.

The resulting Plan identified six short-term CWSSI projects to be implemented within the following year, including Dog Control Services, Highway and DPW Services, Household Hazardous Waste, Establishment of a Regional Purchasing Portal, LED Streetlights, and Regional Training. For each of these opportunities, Laberge Group identified municipalities interested in sharing services, specific functions that were optimal for coordination, multiple implementation options, and the fiscal impact of each implementation option.

The Plan also identified and described 12 long-term projects that would be suitable for implementation over a 2-3 year timeframe. When implemented, the projects detailed within the Plan were projected to save the County almost $1.5 million in each of the two calendar years subsequent to the Plan’s adoption. These savings translate to between 1.6% and 2% in property tax savings for the average homeowner and business. Laberge Group has been retained to develop the 2020 CWSSI Plan update.