There are in the State of New York a number of public agencies which have been created to encourage and assist in community development activities and to provide safe, sanitary and adequate housing for persons and families of low or moderate income by developing, financing, preserving, maintaining and supervising such housing. These agencies include the New York State Housing Finance Agency, the New York State Project Finance Agency, the New York State Urban Development Corporation and its subsidiary, the Mortgage Loan Enforcement and Administration Corporation, the State of New York Mortgage Agency, the New York State Department of State, and the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (herein collectively referred to as the "agencies"). Each of the agencies has been vested with independent powers, the exercise of which has resulted in diffusion of the efforts of the State and the agencies to fulfill their purposes, in competition for both public and private resources available for such purposes, and in the duplication of services and functions performed by the agencies.
It is in the best interest of the people of the State to closely coordinate the housing and community development activities of the agencies, efficiently share resources among the agencies and develop integrated State housing and community development policies. It is, therefore, desirable to create a council whose purpose it is to serve as a focal point for policy development and planning, to coordinate activities of the agencies, to review and make recommendations concerning the operations and administration of the agencies, and to review and make recommendations as to the availability and allocation of public and private resources for housing and community development purposes.
There is hereby created within the Executive Department a council to be known as the New York State Council on Housing and Community Development ("council"). The council shall consist of the following public-sector members: the Secretary of State, the Commissioner of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, the chairpersons and chief executive officers of the Housing Finance Agency (and the Project Finance Agency), the Urban Development Corporation, the Mortgage Loan Enforcement and Administration Corporation, the State Mortgage Agency, and the directors of the Office of Development Planning, the Office of Urban Revitalization and the Division of the Budget. The council shall also consist of three private-sector members to be appointed by the Governor. The Governor shall appoint a chairman from among the members and such chairman shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
The chairman shall receive a salary to be established by the Governor and reviewed annually by the Division of the Budget, unless the chairman is a public-sector member, in which case he shall receive no salary as chairman other than the compensation or other reimbursement he receives as a member, officer or employee of an agency, or as a director of the Office of Urban Revitalization, the Office of Development Planning or the Division of the Budget. The members of the council shall serve without salary or other compensation, other than the compensation or other reimbursement each member may receive as a member, officer or employee of an agency, or as a director of the Office of Urban Revitalization, the Office of Development Planning or the Division of the Budget. Private-sector members shall be reimbursed for their expenses up to $100 per day, not to exceed $2,500 per annum.
The council may employ such staff as may be deemed necessary by the chairman, at compensation to be fixed by the chairman, subject to the approval of the Director of the Budget. In carrying out its functions, powers and duties, the council shall, wherever possible, make use of the staff resources of the Office of Development Planning and the agencies.
The council shall establish procedures to govern the method and manner of its operations and the submission of matters for its consideration.
All departments, divisions, boards, offices and public corporations of the State are requested to cooperate with [the council] and to provide such assistance as the council may request to fulfill its purposes.
The council shall construe and apply this order consistently with the powers and duties of the governing board of each agency to make findings and decisions, and otherwise to conduct the business of that agency, as prescribed by law, and the powers and duties of the Public Authorities Control Board to review and approve submissions to it by the agencies.
Signed: Hugh L. CareyDated: February 21, 1980
N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 9 § 3.96