Spring 2024 LGW

The Spring Local Government Workshop will be held on
THURSDAY, MAY 16TH, 2024 
at Genesee Community College campus in Batavia, NY.

The Local Government Workshops is one of G/FLRPC's signature initiatives, providing a forum for training and information sharing since 1996 for our 188 municipalities. Since that time, thousands of local government officials, board members, staff, and interested citizens have attended the workshops, held twice a year.  

Jump to Workshop Schedule
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REGISTRATION IS LIVE!!
**NEW THIS YEAR**  We're happy to announce registration fees have been lowered!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Workshop Registration 
$60 per person until April 30th 
$70 per person from May 1st to May 8th
All registrations include continental breakfast and a buffet lunch.

Sessions start at 9am and end at 4pm.  The workshop opens beginning at 8am for registration and runs until 4:30pm.

Payment accepted is either at registration via credit card or to be invoiced once registration is completed by selecting the appropriate box. 

During your online registration, you will be asked to select which session during each time slot you think you'll most likely attend.  You will be allowed to change your mind and attend any session you choose on the day of the workshop.  This is to help with room assignments of each session.

Vendor/Exhibitor Registration is Available Here or by contacting Emily Royce at eroyce@gflrpc.org
 
Who Should Attend 
Municipal Board Members and Elected Officials ∙ Planning Board Members ∙ Zoning Board of Appeals Members ∙ County & Municipal Employees ∙ Enforcement Officers ∙ Planners ∙ Public Works and Highway Departments ∙ Engineers and Architects ∙ Land Use Professionals ∙ Attorneys ∙ Consultants ∙ Municipal Commission and Review Board Members ∙ Municipal Committees and Advisory Board Members ∙ Concerned Citizens 

Training Credit Opportunities
For most municipalities the Local Government Workshop fulfills state law required training for local planning officials. A certificate of Participation may be requested for the number of hours of attendance.


AICP CM Credits are pending. AICP members may be able to earn Certification Maintenance (CM) credits for many activities at this event. When CM credits are pending, they are noted at the end of an activity description. More information about AICP’s CM program can be found at www.planning.org/cmAICP members must be in attendance for the duration of the session and fill out the AICP Certification Maintenance SIGN-IN RECORD at the registration desk in order to receive CM Credits.

Please reach out to Emily Royce with any questions, eroyce@gflrpc.org


Workshop Schedule
The sessions available at the Spring workshop are:

• Subdivision Regulation
• Land Use Moratoria
• Public Meetings & Hearings
• Freshwater Wetland Regulations
• Stormwater MS4 Permit Overview
• Genesee River Watershed Implementation Plan Engagement Forum
• Flood Resilience and Flood Risk Reduction Funding Opportunities
• Environmental Facilities Corporation Funding
• Brownfields to Brightfields: Transforming Polluted Sites for Renewable Energy
• Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program
• EV Charing Station Make-Ready Program
• Clean Energy Communities 3.0 Program

Below is the schedule of sessions.




Session Descriptions:
Subdivision Regulation
An overview of the statutory authority for municipalities to review subdivisions. Discussion will focus on the elements of a subdivision plat—layout of lots and infrastructure—along with concepts such as deep lot development and clustering. Review procedures are also addressed, including State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR), county referral, public hearings, decision-making, and the possibility of default approvals.

Land Use Moratoria
A land use moratorium is a local enactment that suspends a landowner’s right to obtain development approvals while the local government considers changes to its comprehensive plan and/or land use regulations. But there are some legal constraints local officials should be aware of when thinking about enacting a moratorium. This course provides some examples of how municipalities have used moratoria successfully as well as a few cases in which courts invalidated a municipality’s moratorium law. The course is designed to help local officials decide when to adopt moratoria and for how long, what development to suspend, and what uses should get exceptions.

Public Meetings & Hearings
This session addresses the goals and requirements associated with holding meetings, in contrast to the purposes and legal requirements surrounding a public hearing. It explores the role of the chairperson in conducting effective meetings and hearings, and includes a discussion of how to manage the public and the media in the context of a hearing or meeting. Also addressed are aspects of the Open Meetings Law, including executive sessions, quorums, minutes, and public notices.

Freshwater Wetland Regulation
In 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law historic revisions to New York's Freshwater Wetlands Act. Currently, the Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) jurisdiction is limited to wetlands that are equal to or greater than 12.4 acres (and certain wetlands of unusual local importance) and identified on the State Freshwater Wetlands Map. The new legislation will eliminate the map requirement beginning in 2025, and in 2028 DEC's jurisdiction will expand to wetlands as small as 7.4 acres.

The reforms will allow DEC to protect over one million acres of critically important freshwater wetlands that are currently unmapped and thousands of additional acres of smaller wetlands.

This presentation will provide an overview of DEC's current freshwater wetlands regulations and how they are enforced. It will explain the need for the regulatory revisions and outline the forthcoming regulatory changes and their effective dates.

Stormwater MS4 Permit Overview
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Department) has finalized the SPDES General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4 General Permit). The MS4 General Permit was long overdue for renewal as it was essentially unchanged since its last full technical review in 2010. Changes have been made in the MS4 General Permit based on multiple public comment periods and stakeholder workgroup meetings. In this presentation, the Department will review select requirements of the 2024 MS4 General Permit, tools that have been developed to aid in the implementation of the permit, and ways to improve your MS4 program moving forward.

Genesee River Watershed Implementation Plan Engagement Forum
Come learn about and provide input on the development of the Genesee River Watershed Implementation Plan, a planning effort which will focus on improving water quality in the Genesee River watershed!
The primary focus of this plan will be to reduce sediment and nutrient (phosphorus) loading to the Genesee River and its tributaries in support of the Genesee River Nine Key Element Watershed Plan for Sediment and Phosphorus. A secondary focus of this plan will be identifying and implementing efforts that reduce sediment and phosphorus loading while providing additional benefits like flood mitigation and aquatic habitat. Public engagement and generating local support for implementing this plan is critical for its success. This session provides municipalities and other stakeholders an opportunity to discuss local plans, projects, and initiatives that will help ensure that local priorities are well represented in the Genesee River Watershed Implementation Plan.

Flood Resilience and Flood Risk Reduction Funding Opportunities
Flood Risk reduction is a shared responsibility with multiple federal and state agencies having a flood risk reduction mission. The purpose of this presentation will be to provide an overview of the federal and state programs which can assist communities with risk reduction.  Some of these programs, will lead to construction projects and others may provide a technical product.  Workshop participants will have a greater understanding of the programs available to them and will also be able to network with the presenters.  Presenters may include the Corps of Engineers, National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),  New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services

Environmental Facilities Corporation Funding
Since 1990, the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation has provided funding for municipal wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs. This session will help municipalities navigate the SRFs and apply for financing, highlight available grant programs, and discuss technical assistance opportunities.

Brownfields to Brightfields: Transforming Polluted Sites for Renewable Energy
Vacant and abandoned commercial and industrial properties cast shadows over nearly every community. These sites, commonly referred to as brownfields, have been identified as potential locations for solar arrays, illuminating a sustainable pathway for their revitalization. In this session, we will delve into the reasons behind this repurposing and shed light on the federal and state funding incentives that can make these projects shine, such as the EPA RE-Powering America’s Land and NYSERDA Build-Ready programs. Additionally, we will highlight available technical assistance resources that can help municipalities navigate the solar landscape.

Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program
The EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program provided grant funding to support the development of a Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region. We are in the process of drafting the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan and we need your help! The primary focus of this session is to provide an overview of our regional approach to climate action and to learn about how you can get involved in the planning process.

EV Charing Station Make-Ready Program
Come learn about the NYSEG & RG&E - EV Charging Station Make Ready programs. We will talk about the streamlined rebate program that can cut the costs to add EV chargers to your properties. This is not another grant program & the electrical contractors submit the applications for the projects on your behalf. The program rebates pay for about 75% of the entire project cost on average and can be paid directly to the contractors so the municipality is only responsible for the balance. The funding of this program will be available through December 2025.

Clean Energy Communities 3.0 Program
Since 2016, The Clean Energy Communities NYSERDA Program has provided municipalities with hands-on support and match-free grant funding to assist with reducing utility consumption and the overall cost of providing services to residents.  On December 13, 2023, NYSERDA released version 3.0 of the CEC Program with the goal of dispersing $25 million to communities statewide by the end of 2025. With the extensive changes to the High Impact Actions, additional benefits to disadvantaged communities, and the expanded funding opportunities included in this round, CEC 3.0 is structured so that any community in New York State can access tens, if not hundreds of dollars in match-free funding. Please join our region's Clean Energy Communities Coordinator, Rob Richardson, as he provides an overview the new program, how the changes create additional opportunities for municipalities, and how communities can utilize the Elective Pay provision of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in conjunction with funding earned through the CEC Program to reduce the out-of-pocket cost for large scale municipal projects.

Cosponsored By:
Genesee County Planning Board
Livingston County Planning Department
Monroe County Planning & Development Department
Ontario County Planning Department
Orleans County Planning Board
Seneca County Planning Board
Wayne County Planning Board
Wyoming County Planning Board
Yates County Planning Department
NY Upstate APA Chapter

Member counties: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates