"The responsibilities and organizational structure of local highway departments, and manner and extent that they interact, vary across the state. What is common, however, is a culture of cooperation with other departments. Shared service arrangements are not new to New York’s municipal governments. There are many examples of counties, towns, villages and cities coming together to jointly perform public functions more efficiently. This is certainly the case for highway services where cooperative arrangements, both formal and informal, are prevalent."

"This guide is designed to assist local government managers and elected officials with varying levels of expertise and resources, to identify opportunities to share highway services and to develop and implement sharing agreements."

Developing Intermunicipal Arrangements for Highway Services: A Guide for Local Government Officials

This report, put out by the Office of the NYS Comptroller, discusses intermunicipal cooperation and consolidation for communities looking to make local government "smarter" during times of fiscal stress. The report includes a discussion of policy issues, current activity levels in NYS, strategies for collaboration. and policy recommendations. Click the link below to download or view the report.

Intermunicipal Cooperation and Consolidation - Exploring Opportunities for Savings and Improved Service Delivery

"The use of cooperative agreements to provide services is one of the most useful alternatives available to local governments."

Examining the potential for improving economic environments through increased efficiencies in local government, this article describes categories of joint agreements, provides examples taking place throughout New York State, and discusses how the state is providing incentives for municipalities entering into shared agreements. Click the link below to download or view the article.

The Framework for Municipal Cooperation and Sharing