Section 27.17. State aid; snowmobile trail development and maintenance

1.
  Every county engaging and assisting in the development  and  maintenance
  of  a  system  of  snowmobile trails and a program with relation thereto
  within  its  boundaries  in  order  to  encourage  safety,  tourism  and
  utilization  and,  in  the  event  a  county  does  not undertake such a
  program, or system of trails, any city,  town  or  village  within  such
  county  which  undertakes  the  same,  shall  be entitled to receive, in
  accordance  with  rules  and  regulations  to  be  promulgated  by   the
  commissioner, state aid as hereinafter provided.
    2.  Notwithstanding  any  other  provision of law to the contrary, the
  commissioner shall establish a plan for the development and  maintenance
  of  snowmobile  trails  and  facilities in the various counties or where
  applicable, cities, towns or villages of the state as may be appropriate
  and shall take whatever action he or she deems necessary to  foster  and
  promote  the  safe  utilization of such trails and facilities; for these
  purposes, he or she may draw upon the moneys deposited in the snowmobile
  trail development and maintenance fund for expenses, including  personal
  services,  as  approved  by  the comptroller and is hereby authorized to
  assign  three  employees  of  his  or  her  office  to  carry  out  such
  responsibilities and to pay their salaries, benefits and expenses out of
  such fund.
    3. Every county or, where applicable, any city, town or village within
  such  county,  shall  be  eligible  for  a grant for the development and
  maintenance of a system of snowmobile trails and a program with relation
  thereto within  its  boundaries.  Such  grants  shall  be  made  by  the
  commissioner and may constitute up to one hundred percent of the cost of
  such  program  including  expenditures incurred for signs and markers of
  snowmobile trails. Any county or, where applicable, any  city,  town  or
  village  within such county, applying for such grant shall submit to the
  commissioner by September  first  of  each  year  an  estimate  of  such
  expenditures  for  the  current fiscal year, in such form and containing
  such information as the commissioner  may  require.  No  city,  town  or
  village  may  apply  for  such grant where the county within which it is
  contained has submitted an application for the same fiscal year. For the
  purpose of this section, "fiscal year" shall mean the period from  April
  first through March thirty-first. The commissioner shall review all such
  applications and shall determine the amount of state aid to be allocated
  to  each  county  or, where applicable, any city, town or village within
  such county in accordance with the provisions  of  subdivision  five  of
  this  section. Of the amount the commissioner determines each county or,
  where applicable, any city,  town  or  village  within  such  county  is
  eligible  to  receive,  seventy  percent  shall  be  made  available for
  distribution by November first and thirty percent for distribution  upon
  demonstration of completion, submitted by June first, of the program.
    4.  Not  more  than thirty percent of the snowmobile trail development
  and maintenance fund, as determined by the commissioner, shall  be  made
  available  to  the  commissioner  and  the commissioner of environmental
  conservation for snowmobile trail development and maintenance  on  state
  owned   lands;   provided,   however,  that  any  such  maintenance  and
  development on forest preserve lands shall be undertaken  in  accordance
  with  the  master  plan  for  the  management of state lands pursuant to
  section eight hundred sixteen of the executive law.
    5. The amount of state aid to be allocated to each  county  or,  where
  applicable, any city, town or village within such county, shall be drawn
  upon  the  monies  remaining  in  the  snowmobile  trail development and
  maintenance fund after withdrawal pursuant to subdivisions two and  four
  of  this  section  and  shall  be  determined  by  the  commissioner  as
  hereinafter provided. The commissioner shall  determine  the  percentage

  proportion  which  the authorized expenditures of each individual county
  or, where applicable, any city, town or village within such county shall
  bear to the total authorized expenditures of all the  counties,  cities,
  towns  or  villages  for  snowmobile  trail  development and maintenance
  pursuant to  this  section  during  the  fiscal  year.  Such  percentage
  proportion  shall  then  be  applied  against  the  amount  received  in
  additional  fees  imposed  by  section  21.07  of   this   chapter   for
  registration  of snowmobiles during such fiscal year, to the extent only
  and not exceeding the balance of such fund remaining after  the  payment
  of  expenses  as  set  forth in this section. The amount thus determined
  shall constitute the maximum amount of state aid to  which  each  county
  or,  where  applicable,  any  city,  town or village within such county,
  shall be entitled. The commissioner shall certify to the comptroller the
  amount thus determined for each county or, where applicable,  any  city,
  town  or  village  within  such county, as the amount of state aid to be
  apportioned to such county or,  where  applicable,  any  city,  town  or
  village within such county.