County awarded $44,000 grant for regional water, wastewater

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a comprehensive package of 12 projects impacting 45 localities across New York through the Municipal Restructuring Fund that will streamline the delivery of local services and reduce future costs to local taxpayers, including Chautauqua County. The projects statewide address general government consolidation, as well as local government functions including public safety, infrastructure and health insurance.

Chautauqua County Water and Wastewater Cooperative was awarded $44,545 for Project Development. The county will work with local government partners to establish Chautauqua Region Water and Wastewater Cooperative in order to address challenges confronting small municipal systems by pooling resources, including shared operators.

Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello said, “Receiving this Municipal Restructuring Fund grant will be a game changer for Chautauqua County’s local water and sewer districts. It will enable us to develop an intermunicipal water and wastewater cooperative among 17 partner communities to stabilize staffing and generate long-term savings through shared equipment and purchasing. I thank Governor Cuomo and our partners at the Department of State for helping us advance this innovative project and continuing to champion local government efficiency efforts.”