STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2793 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 27, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. OTIS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to classifying military monuments and memorials as parkland The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 99-w of the general municipal law, 2 as added by chapter 439 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 2. Prior to any change in status of a military monument or military 5 memorial erected or constructed pursuant to sections two hundred twen- 6 ty-six of the county law, eighty-one of the town law, seventy-two and 7 seventy-seven-a of [the general municipal law] this article or where the 8 military monument or military memorial receives a real property tax 9 exemption pursuant to section four hundred forty-four-a of the real 10 property tax law, the legislative body of the municipal corporation 11 where the military monument or military memorial is situated shall adopt 12 a local law, by a two-thirds vote of its members, or in the case of a 13 school district or board of cooperative educational services a resol- 14 ution, by a two-thirds vote of its members, to authorize such change in 15 status. At least ninety days prior to the adoption of such local law, 16 the municipal corporation shall hold at least one public hearing. Such 17 public hearing shall be on such notice as is required by section twenty 18 of the municipal home rule law. Notice of such public hearing shall also 19 be posted in at least five public places, and shall be advertised for 20 three consecutive days in at least one newspaper of general circulation 21 in the municipal corporation, which shall be the official newspaper if 22 one exists, within fifteen days of such public hearing. The municipal 23 corporation shall also post such notice on its official website, if one 24 exists, for at least fifteen days prior to such hearing. Written notice 25 shall also be sent by certified mail to the chief executive officer of EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02367-01-3
A. 2793 2 1 the municipal corporation, if one exists, prior to the publication of 2 the notice requirements required by this subdivision. Military monuments 3 or memorials under this section shall be considered as parkland in the 4 municipality wherein such property exists. Any change in status approved 5 by the local entity under this section shall not be alienated, devel- 6 oped, leased, transferred, sold or discontinued for use as a memorial 7 site unless such action is authorized by an act of the legislature. 8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.