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Senate Cities 2 committee advances three local finance bills; Rochester school facilities measure referred to education committee
Summary
The Senate Cities 2 Committee voted to report three local finance bills to first reading and referred a Rochester school facilities modernization bill to the education committee after debate about funding and priorities.
Sen. Christopher Ryan, chair of the Senate Cities 2 Committee, presided as the panel advanced three local finance measures to first reading and referred a separate Rochester school facilities modernization bill to the Senate Education Committee during a meeting of the Cities 2 committee.
The votes move forward bills that extend local finance provisions for municipal bond and note issues in Yonkers and Buffalo and establish a residency exemption for plumbing inspectors in Rochester. A larger measure to amend the Rochester School Facilities Modernization Program Act prompted extended discussion about statewide school funding and was referred for further review by the education committee.
The committee opened floor action with Senate Bill 433, described to amend New York’s Local Finance Law relating to bonds and notes for the City of Yonkers by extending specified provisions for one year. A motion to approve the bill was made and seconded and the committee reported the bill to first reading on the calendar by voice vote; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.
The second bill, Senate Bill 5403, was presented as an amendment to the Local Finance Law to facilitate marketing of serial bonds or notes for the City of Buffalo and likewise was moved, seconded and reported to first reading by voice vote.
Senate Bill 5758, described as an amendment to the General City Law concerning a residency exemption for plumbing inspectors in the City of Rochester, was also moved, seconded and reported to first reading without extended debate.
The committee’s final bill on the calendar, Senate Bill 7157, would amend chapter 416 of the laws of 2007 to grant further authority to the Rochester Joint Schools Capital Construction Board (RJSCB) to modernize educational facilities in the City of Rochester; committee members engaged in extended discussion about the size and distribution of funding. Senator Cooney noted the measure involves “quite a bit of money here. $600,000,000 in total,” and other members raised concerns about fairness across school districts and home‑rule implications. After discussion, the committee voted to report SB 7157 to the Senate Education Committee for further consideration rather than advancing it out of committee on final action.
Votes at a glance
- SB 433 (Local Finance Law; City of Yonkers) — Motion made and seconded; reported to first reading by voice vote; individual roll-call unavailable in transcript. - SB 5403 (Local Finance Law; City of Buffalo) — Motion made and seconded; reported to first reading by voice vote; individual roll-call unavailable in transcript. - SB 5758 (General City Law; Rochester residency exemption for plumbing inspectors) — Motion made and seconded; reported to first reading by voice vote; individual roll-call unavailable in transcript. - SB 7157 (Amend chapter 416 of the laws of 2007; Rochester School Facilities Modernization Program Act) — Motion made and seconded; after discussion about funding priorities the committee reported the bill to the Education Committee for further review.
Chair Ryan closed the committee’s business and directed members to confirm their voting sheets with the clerk. The transcript does not record detailed roll-call counts for the bills reported by voice vote.
