Niagara County Receives $344K from NYS for Shared Services Implementation

Niagara County Manager Richard Updegrove today said the county has been awarded $343,975.34 from the county’s participation in the NYS County-Wide Shared Services Initiative (CWSSI).  The CWSSI was created to generate savings by encouraging creative efforts at collaboration by local governments across the state. 

“I am very proud of the work we put into developing a shared services plan with our municipal government partners,” said Updegrove.  “This was not some mere academic exercise.  The plan had to produce real, demonstrable savings in order to be eligible for state matching funds and that is what we accomplished.”

The savings included joint digital pictometry with all Niagara County municipalities which involves planes taking aerial images to map the county; solid waste management consulting with Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda; shared IT services with the Pendleton; and a shared milling machine with Newfane.

“Our shared services plan focused on some of the nuts and bolts functions of government where collaboration could be achieved without any real impediments,” said Updegrove.  “I hope we can build on this success and strongly encourage New York State to look at ways to eliminate barriers that restrict the way we can transfer functions between local governments, thereby expanding our opportunities for greater savings.”

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