NCJ Number
84975
Date Published
1981
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This 1979 New York State survey identifies all State mandates to counties, classifies each mandates by type and functional area of expenditure, and determines whether each mandate is related to programs or to the administration of county government.
Abstract
A mandate was defined as a legal requirement that a county government undertake a specific activity or provide a service which meets a minimum State standard. This inventory includes all statutory mandates in effect in 1977 for which there was no direct State aid as well as those for which counties were either wholly or partially reimbursed. All 2,632 mandates were classified by the kind of requirement imposed on county government. Type number 1 mandates require a county to undertake a specified activity; type number 2 mandates allow counties discretion in whether or not to undertake a specified activity; and type number 3 mandates require counties to perform certain activities once they opt to participate in a discretionary program or activity identified as a type number 2 mandate. The inventory contains 1,264 type number 1 mandates, 674 type number 2 mandates, and 694 type number 3 mandates. In classifying the mandates into 10 major functional areas of county expenditures, 'general government' contained the largest number of statutory mandates (1,191), and 'education' had the smallest number (37). To differentiate between mandates that require county programs and those that relate more to the administration of county government, categories of ministerial and program mandates were established. The inventory contains 1,037 ministerial mandates and 1,595 program mandates. Tabular data are provided. (Author summary modified)