BILL NUMBER: S6732
SPONSOR: MAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the highway law, in relation to the rate paid by the
state to a city for maintenance and repair of highways
 
PURPOSE:
To increase the rate used by the state when reimbursing municipalities
for maintenance of the state and highway system within city borders.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends subdivision 5-a of section 340-b of the highway law to
increase the rate, used by the state when reimbursing, municipalities
for maintenance of the state and highway system within city borders. The
rate would be raised to two dollars and forty-seven cents from eighty-
five cents per square yard of the pavement area that is included in the
state highway system. The rate would also be raised from ten cents to
twenty cents per square yard of such pavement area where such pavement
area is located on any. elevated bridge.
Section II amends-subdivision 7 of section 349-c to provide for the rate
to be increased each year by the percentage change in the consumer price
index for all urban consumers (CPI-U), New York-Northern New Jersey-Long
Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA, as published by the United States department of
labor bureau of labor statistics, over the prior five years.
Section III sets forth the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Over the last 50 years, the State has delegated responsibility to muni-
cipalities to maintain state highways within city borders. The current
reimbursement rate covers less than half of the actual costs that muni-
cipalities throughout the State bear for the cost of highway mainte-
nance, which includes, among other items, guide rail and fence repair,
impact attenuator repair, and pothole maintenance. This maintenance is
essential for safe travel on our highways.
Since 1987, the State has reimbursed cities at a rate of eighty-five
cents per square yard of pavement, with no adjustments for inflation.
Cities throughout the State would benefit from raising this rate to two
dollars and forty-seven cents per square yard, a rate reflecting the
Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase. To ensure that the reimbursement
rate keeps up with inflation, this bill would also require that the rate
be indexed annually to CPI.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2025-2026: A4612 (McDonald)
2023-2024: A4865 (McDonald)
2021-2022: A6435 (Rozic) / S3529 (Kennedy)
2019-2020: A8895 (Rozic) / S7701 (Kennedy)
 
FISCAL IMPACT ON STATE:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become law.

Statutes affected:
S6732: 340-b highway law, 340-b(5-a) highway law, 349-c highway law, 349-c(7) highway law