Res. No. 295
Resolution Supporting the Elimination of the Sunset Provisions of the Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund (LGRMIF) and the Cultural Education Fund (CEF).
By Council Member Rivera
Whereas, The Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund (LGRMIF) was created in 1989 to provide technical assistance and grants to establish, improve or enhance records management programs New York’s more than 4300 local governments; and
Whereas, The closely related Documentary Heritage Program (DHP) for grants and technical assistance to non-governmental historical records repositories also is supported by the LGRMIF; and
Whereas, A sunset date for the LGRMIF was established in the original legislation to permit its operation as a five-year experiment; and
Whereas, The New York State Legislature in 1995 twice has extended the sunset date most recently to December 31, 2005; and
Whereas, The LGRMIF has effectively supported essential advisory services and 6,300 grants totaling over $113 million to improve the management of records for over half of all NYS local governments; and
Whereas, The LGRMIF and the programs its supports continue to operate at a high standard of excellence and provide direct and significant benefit to local governments at no cost to the taxpayers; and
Whereas, The City of New York has benefited from technical assistance, training, publications and grants supported by the LGRMIF; and
Whereas, The State Legislature created the closely-related Cultural Education Fund (CEF) to support the New York State Archives, New York State Library and New York State Museum on behalf of all New Yorkers, and the Office for Public Broadcasting, and provided the CEF with an identical sunset date; and
Whereas, The LGRMIF and CEF continue to be critically important in the fulfillment of the many records and information related responsibilities of the Clerk of the City Council, and to the cultural and scientific needs of the people of New York State; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York supports the elimination of said sunset provisions in order to make the LGRMIF and the CEF permanent.