1. The task force shall consist of fourteen members; nine of whom
shall be the director of the canal corporation, commissioner of the
department of environmental conservation, the secretary of state, the
commissioner of transportation, the director of the state emergency
management office, the commissioner of parks, recreation and historic
preservation, the commissioner of agriculture and markets, the chairman
of the power authority of the state of New York and the commissioner of
economic development or designee; and five additional members who shall
be from outside the public offices listed in this section and who shall
have professional experience in the fields of hydrology, civil
engineering, climatology, emergency management and soil and water
conservation. The governor shall appoint three of the five additional
members and the temporary president of the senate and speaker of the
assembly shall each appoint one of each of the five additional members.
2. The task force shall appoint a chairperson from among its members.
3. The members of the task force shall receive no compensation for
their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses
incurred in the performance of their duties.
4. The task force shall consult with the emergency management officer,
or appropriate county officer, from each county adjacent or intersected
by the canal system or the Oswego river basin and each such officer
shall provide to the task force a document listing their concerns and
recommendations related to flooding along the canal system. The task
force shall consider such concerns and recommendations in its
deliberations and in the formulation of its determinations and
recommendations.
5. The task force shall also solicit the views of persons who reside
adjacent to the canal system or major bodies within the Oswego river
basin to assist it in making its determinations and formulating its
recommendations.
6. To help ensure the task force's receipt of a comprehensive and
diverse array of views, a citizen advisory board to the task force shall
be established. The advisory board shall consist of up to thirteen
members appointed for two years, seven members shall be appointed
following the recommendation of the governor; two members shall be
appointed following the recommendation of the temporary president of the
senate; two members shall be appointed following the recommendation of
the speaker of the assembly; one member shall be appointed following the
recommendation of the minority leader of the senate; and one member
shall be appointed following the recommendation of the minority leader
of the assembly. The advisory board shall represent a diverse array of
interests, including property owners residing adjacent to or in close
proximity to the canal system or major water bodies within the Oswego
river basin, recreational and commercial users of the canal system,
environmental groups and hydroelectric power generators that operate
facilities within the canal system. No member of the advisory board may
be concurrently employed by, or provide goods or services to, any agency
or public corporation which is represented on the task force. The
commissioner shall select a member of the advisory board to serve as
chairperson.
7. The members of the advisory board shall receive no compensation for
their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses
incurred in the performance of their duties.
8. The advisory board shall advise the task force on relevant
information and issues related to flooding and flood mitigation in the
canal system or the Oswego river basin; make recommendations to fulfill
the purposes of this article; and provide advice and assistance required
by the task force.
9. The task force shall meet at least six times at the call of the
chairperson.
* NB Repealed 120 days after the New York State canal flood mitigation
task force has submitted its completed report (see ch. 456/2007 ยง2)