NY A03594

Establishes a procedure for creating new counties in New York, requiring a minimum population of 100,000 inhabitants and an area of at least 100 square miles, with contiguous territory that does not divide existing cities, towns, or villages

Requires a feasibility study before filing a petition, including proposed operating and capital budgets, division of assets and liabilities, and property tax impact projections over at least five years

Mandates petitions be signed by at least 10% of voters who cast ballots for governor in the last gubernatorial election in the proposed territory, with the State Board of Elections reviewing petition sufficiency

Requires the State Comptroller to review and issue a decision on financial feasibility within 60 days, determining whether the new county serves the public interest and would not create undue financial burden

Requires voter approval through referendum at a general election, with a simple majority needed to create the new county; if rejected, no new petition for the same territory may be filed for five years