NY A08573

Requires village incorporation petitions to include a third-party study examining the fiscal, service, and taxation impacts on both the proposed village and surrounding towns, jointly selected by petitioners and town supervisors or prepared by the Village Incorporation Commission if parties cannot agree within 30 days.

Establishes the Village Incorporation Commission with three members appointed by the Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Attorney General to review petitions, conduct hearings, evaluate studies for compliance, and decide whether to proceed to incorporation elections based on specified fiscal and service criteria.

Reduces the minimum population requirement for village incorporation from 2,000 to 1,500 residents and extends the timeframe for holding incorporation elections from 40 days to between 90 and 180 days after petition approval.

Requires the Department of State to post incorporation studies on its website within 10 days of receipt and maintain them for at least 90 days before hearings; increases posting locations for notices from 5 to 6 public places and shortens commission notice deadlines from 20 days to 3 days.

Creates an exemption for two village incorporation petitions initially filed in February 2017 and May 2019 in certain towns, allowing them to continue under prior law rules if processes conclude before January 1, 2040, with a state-funded fiscal study required to be posted by April 1, 2024.