New York Association of Towns - NYAOT

09/28/2026

Join us next week for a timely webinar on the EPA's Brownfield Grant opportunities, FREE for NYAOT members.

To register for our free webinar on Tuesday, October 6, presented by LaBella Associates, please register at https://bit.ly/nyaotevents

09/25/2026

NYAOT's first-ever Legislative Conference is done and dusted. Thank you to all of our members who came out for 2 days of great learning, discussions, and connecting with each other, New York State representatives and our slate of presenters.

Nearly 200 town officials gathered for discussions regarding water infrastructure, affordable housing, EMS, economic development, health insurance, workforce issues, women in leadership, issues affecting rural towns, and more. We truly believe in the importance of amplifying these issues for our members and the state-local partnership on a path to solutions.

We'd like to extend a special thanks to the following state representatives for taking the time to speak on several issues that are affecting our members' day-to-day decisions and their bottom lines.

Senator Joseph A. Griffo
Senator Patricia A. Fahy
Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky
Assemblyman Steve Otis
Assemblyman Brian Maher
Assembly Member Paula Elaine Kay
NYS Assemblymember Chris Burdick
NYS Assemblyman William Conrad
Assemblymember Michael Cashman
and NYS Budget Director Blake Washington

09/24/2026

Today’s Binghamton Press Connects contains a sound argument from the Town of Union Supervisor Robert Mack on why we are advocating for the state to increase the salary cap for retired public officials returning to service. The cap is currently set at $35,000. As towns look to fill positions with skilled workers, increasing this cap to $50,000 would go a long way in the ability of towns to have retiring or already retired onboard new talented hires while avoiding interruption of critical services or penalizing retired officials through their pocketbooks.

09/23/2026

Day 2 of our 2026 Legislative Conference in Downtown Albany. On the agenda today: economic development; from local official to state representative; the future of EMS plus a keynote speech from NYS Budget Director Blake Washington. After lunch, our delegates voted on our 2027 Legislative Platform, which will guide our advocacy program. A huge thank you and safe travels to the town officials, state legislators and other presenters who attended!

09/21/2026

Our Executive Director Chris Koetzle visited towns on Long Island this past week to discuss important issues like affordable, housing, and land use, budget challenges in the arbitrary tax cap, in many other issues, important to towns. We appreciate the town of Brookhaven for hosting us in their beautiful town hall into Supervisor Panico for his hospitality.

09/18/2026

After a summer break, our podcast Talk of the Towns is BACK with a great discussion about the growth of our foundation, NYMEF, which works to provide the municipal workforce with skills development and training through scholarships and professional education opportunities.

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/guv5s8GS

🎧 You can also listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4rfx4oU

09/16/2026

We're in the home stretch leading up to our first-ever Legislative Conference Sept. 22-23 at the Albany Hilton.

We have a great slate of topics and speakers scheduled to appear, including NYS Budget Director Blake Washington giving the lunchtime keynote on Wednesday.

Hear from state legislators and municipal experts on topics like EMS, workforce development issues, the health insurance cost conundrum, fostering the state-local relationship, water infrastructure and more!

For all of our Type-B members, online registration closes this Friday, Sept. 18 and we'll have on-site registration.

Check out all of our great upcoming events at https://bit.ly/nyaotevents

Aging water and sewer systems, rising construction costs, and federal and state mandates are putting increasing pressure on municipalities. What role could the Safe Water Action Program (SWAP) play?

LaBella Senior Civil Engineer Jennifer Vaughn, EIT, will join advocates, state officials, and town leaders for a panel discussion at the New York Association of Towns - NYAOT inaugural Legislative Conference in Albany, New York.

📅 Wednesday, September 23 | 11:00 a.m.

During “Water Infrastructure Policy for Towns: Funding, Mandates, and Legislative Priorities,” panelists will discuss the SWAP, a proposed dedicated fund modeled on the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) that would provide New York municipalities with predictable financial resources for water and sewer infrastructure.

What could a fully funded SWAP mean for town budgets? How can local officials advocate for water infrastructure investment amid competing state funding priorities? Panelists will explore these questions and share practical guidance to navigating existing funding opportunities.

Learn more about the conference here: https://www.nytowns.org/Towns/AOTEvent_Display.aspx?EventKey=LEGCONF

09/11/2026

Tee time! There are still foursomes, sponsorship and volunteering opportunities for our 2nd annual golf tournament supporting NYMEF, our foundation that works to support and train the municipal workforce through professional development opportunities and scholarships.

This past year, due in large part to our golfers in 2025, we were able to deliver more than $9,000 in scholarships to help defray costs of professional training including CDL and perform public outreach.

⛳️ Pinehaven Country Club
📆September 21, 2026
⏰9 a.m.
🎟️ $160 per golfer / $640 per foursome
🔗 For more info, please visit https://bit.ly/nyaotevents

09/10/2026

We want to hear from you.

New York's towns are navigating a wide range of challenges — from rising infrastructure and health care costs to workforce shortages, regulatory requirements and changes in how residents interact with local government. Please take a few moments to let us know what issues are most important to your town so we can better understand where additional work or advocacy should be directed.

➡️ Take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GMSZ3LR

We'll be sharing these results at our upcoming Legislative Conference at the Albany Hilton Sept. 22 - 23 - register online at www.nytowns.org

09/10/2026

From supply chain IT attacks, to brownfield grant opportunities, you won't want to miss out on our upcoming virtual events and webinars. Registration is free for all NYAOT members. Register today via https://bit.ly/nyaotevents or scan the QR code.