What Happened?
A New York state grant was awarded to East Hampton Town and East Hampton Village for the development of a shared fueling facility for cars and trucks. The $400,000 joint state grant will be instrumental in the replacement of inadequate fuel stations across the communities with a central facility.
The Goal
The grant is one of 68 awards offered through the New York Local Government Efficiency program. By building a joint facility used by both communities, the cost of gasoline will be reduced, fuel inventory and billing will be improved and the environmental impact of gas fueling will be limited. The town and village will close their existing pumps, and the joint facility will include a generator to ensure continued operability in the event of a power failure.
Before the town and village were able to apply for the state grant, a feasibility study was conducted by East Hampton Town to determine the costs of the new joint fuel facility as well as the expected savings in the short and long term. The feasibility study revealed the joint fuel facility will likely result in:
- Reduced per gallon cost of fuel for residents and local agencies
- Upgraded fuel inventory control and billing
- Slashed environmental impacts of fueling processes with above ground technology implementation
- Increased efficiency by consolidating multiple fuel depots into a single facility
- Advanced oversight to ensure the facility will meet local, state and federal requirements for toxic and hazardous materials
Because the joint fuel facility will make better use of resources while saving significant taxpayer dollars in both East Hampton Town and East Hampton Village, it is eligible for the New York Local Government Efficiency grant program that focuses on supporting projects that protect the environment, reduce government spending and increase cooperation between nearby municipalities.
Sharing is Caring
The New York Local Government Efficiency program actively seeks out state programs that aim to achieve significant savings and improvements in efficiency through shared services, cooperative agreements, consolidations and dissolutions of underutilized infrastructure. The grants are awarded in the form of technical assistance and competitive funding provided by state agencies to local governments.
There are many different types of programs funding through the Local Government Efficiency initiative such as:
- Government reorganization
- City and county charter revision
- Education
- Municipality utilities
- Public safety
- Transportation
- General government initiatives
Past and future recipients of the grants have launched programs to upgrade zoning and building codes; vast improvements across school districts; revamp of water and wastewater systems; retrofit public transit infrastructure; and implement fire protection or public health programs.
While the program may focus on providing the necessary funding to develop and implement these programs, the New York State Department also offers access to technical assistance to ensure a smooth integration of new technology, services and solutions. Local training programs provided through the Local Government Efficiency initiative include:
- Building code and property maintenance
- Legal memorandum
- Planning and land use regulation
- Resource protection
- Local government efficiency
- General local government projects
Local Transit
Gov1 has kept tabs on many local efforts to improve transportation plans through the use of state and federal funding.