The Local Government Efficiency Grant program — called LGEG by the New York Department of State, which operates the effort — will distribute $8 million, according to a statement.
That’s hardly the most massive gov tech investment for such a large and populous state. By comparison, it’s just more than double the recent seed funding rounds for small, young companies that focus on local governments.
But the money can provide heavy lifting for communities that need tech upgrades or other improvements.
For instance, a previous LGEG award of $1.2 million helped the Town of Carmel, which partnered with five nearby police departments, pay for shared police communications software, reflecting a larger trend in public safety that has more agencies working together on emergency dispatch and first response.
In fact, according to the Department of State, the grant program “incentivizes two or more local governments to team up to apply to plan for or implement shared services, consolidations and dissolutions.”
Officials designed the program to help local governments deal with “significant current and emerging challenges,” according to the statement.
For the newest round of this program, that means cybersecurity, along with other IT services. Program backers also encourage projects that deal with emergency services, code enforcement and municipal planning, water and waste management, and clean energy.
The program used to give out $4 million until a boost two years ago.
The $8 million now in play includes $7.2 million for implementation grants and $800,000 for planning grants, according to the statement.
The state caps implementation grants at $250,000 per participating public agency and up to $1.25 million per project in total. Grants require a 10 percent local match.
Planning grants can’t go above $20,000 per local government and can’t exceed $100,000 in total. A 50 percent match is required.
Eligible grant recipients include counties, cities, towns, villages, special improvement districts, fire districts, public libraries, association libraries, public library systems, water authorities, sewer authorities, regional planning and development boards, school districts, and boards of cooperative educational services, according to the statement.
Officials will judge grant applications on how well they could provide robust returns on investment, need, delivery benefits and other facts. Potential projects must be at the stage where they can be completed within five years.
