Section 202-F. Construction or installation of certain improvements in state highways and county roads  


Latest version.
  • 1.  In  the  event of the construction,
      reconstruction or relocation of a state highway or county  road  in  any
      town  outside  of  an  existing  water,  water storage and distribution,
      sewer, sewage disposal or drainage district,  the  town  board  of  such
      town,  after  a public hearing as hereinafter provided, may, at the time
      of such construction, reconstruction or relocation, install or construct
      such improvements in the right-of-way in such state  highway  or  county
      road  as it may determine to be in the public interest for future use by
      any such district or extension thereof in  such  town.  The  town  board
      shall  cause  a  plan of the proposed improvement and an estimate of the
      cost thereof to be prepared by the town engineer or, if there be no town
      engineer, an engineer duly licensed by the state of New York.  When  the
      plan  and estimate of the cost have been completed, the town board shall
      call a public hearing thereon and cause a notice thereof to be published
      in the official newspaper of said town, if  any,  or  if  none,  in  any
      newspaper  which  could  be  designated as the official newspaper of the
      town, the first publication thereof to be not less  than  ten  nor  more
      than twenty days before the day set therein for said public hearing, and
      shall also cause a copy of such notice to be posted on the sign-board of
      the  town  maintained  pursuant  to subdivision six of section thirty of
      this chapter not less than ten nor more than twenty days before the date
      designated for such public hearing as aforesaid. In the event  that  the
      town  maintains  a website, such information may also be provided on the
      website. Such notice  shall  describe  in  general  terms  the  proposed
      improvement, shall specify the estimated cost thereof and state the time
      when  and  the place where such town board will meet to hear all persons
      interested in the subject matter thereof. If the town board shall decide
      after such public hearing and upon the evidence given thereat that it is
      in the public interest to install or construct the proposed improvement,
      such town board shall direct the engineer to prepare definite plans  and
      specifications and make a careful estimate of the expense, and, with the
      assistance  of  the  town  attorney  or  an  attorney  employed for that
      purpose, to prepare a proposed contract for the execution of  the  work.
      Thereupon,   such   town   board  shall  examine  such  definite  plans,
      specifications, estimate and the proposed contract, and may  reject  the
      same  or  make  such  modifications  or  changes  therein  as shall seem
      necessary and desirable, and adopt the same and cause the improvement to
      be installed or constructed in accordance therewith.
        2. The expense of any improvement authorized pursuant to this  section
      shall  be  a  town charge and shall be assessed, levied and collected in
      the same manner and at the same time as other  town  charges;  provided,
      however, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to prevent the
      financing in whole or in part, pursuant to the local finance law, of any
      improvement  authorized  pursuant  to this section. Any such improvement
      shall be deemed to be a district or special  improvement  authorized  by
      article  twelve of this chapter within the meaning of subdivision two of
      paragraph b of section 35.00 of the local finance law.  The  expense  of
      any such improvement shall not exceed the amount stated as the estimated
      cost thereof in the notice of the public hearing thereon.
        3.  The  town board may authorize the use of any improvement installed
      or constructed pursuant to this section by any water, water storage  and
      distribution,  sewer, sewage disposal or drainage district, or extension
      thereof, thereafter  established  in  such  town,  provided  the  entire
      expense   of   such  improvement,  together  with  the  expense  of  the
      construction of the original improvement for such district or extension,
      shall not exceed the maximum amount proposed to be expended as stated in
      the petition, or, in the  case  of  a  water  storage  and  distribution
    
      district  or  sewage  disposal  district, the notice of hearing, for the
      establishment or extension of such district.  Whenever  the  town  board
      shall  authorize  the  use  of  any improvement installed or constructed
      pursuant  to this section by any district or extension thereof, the same
      shall become a part of such district or extension thereof and the entire
      cost of such improvement, including the expense of maintenance  thereof,
      shall  be  a  charge  against  such  district  or extension and shall be
      assessed, levied and collected in  the  same  manner  as  other  charges
      against such district or extension.
        4.  No  improvement shall be installed or constructed within any state
      highway or  county  road  pursuant  to  this  section  until  the  state
      commissioner of transportation or the county superintendent of highways,
      as  the  case  may  be,  shall have granted his written consent thereto,
      which consent  may  be  made  subject  to  such  conditions  as  may  be
      determined necessary or desirable to prevent undue interference with the
      work of constructing, reconstructing or relocating such highway or road.
        5. In any town which is located wholly or partly within the Adirondack
      park  which  contains  state  lands subject to taxation assessed at more
      than thirty per centum of the total taxable assessed valuation  of  such
      town  as  determined  from  the latest completed assessment roll of such
      town, no expenditure shall be made or  contract  let  for  the  purposes
      authorized  in  this section, unless the state comptroller, on behalf of
      the state, shall consent to such expenditure. In all  other  cases,  the
      consent  of  the  state  comptroller  shall  not  be  required  for  any
      expenditure pursuant to this section.