New York Senate Bill S03540

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/28/25
• Refer: 1/28/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Authorizes the county of Cattaraugus to discontinue as reforested lands certain reforested lands in the town of Perrysburg.

Summary

This bill authorizes Cattaraugus County to discontinue the reforested status of approximately 63.73 acres of county-owned land in the Town of Perrysburg, subject to conditions. The stated purpose is to allow the county to rehabilitate a dam and develop the property for future use. The bill identifies four parcels of land and notes that the property is currently vacant and not being used by the public for recreational or reforestation purposes. The authorization is not unconditional. Before the county may alienate or convey the affected lands, it must acquire and dedicate replacement real property for reforestation purposes of equal or greater fair market value. If the replacement land is worth less than the land being removed from reforestation status, the county must make up the difference by dedicating additional land for reforestation acquisition or improving existing reforested lands. The bill also requires that if the property is ever used for a different purpose than the one authorized, it must be restored to its original state and maintained as reforested land under county law. In practical terms, the bill would create a narrow exception to section 219 of the County Law for this specific county and these specific parcels. It would permit the county to repurpose land that is otherwise protected for reforestation, while preserving the overall public reforestation interest through a land-for-land or value-for-value replacement requirement. The bill takes effect immediately. The available context shows no recorded committee transcript, vote tally, or formal opposition, so there is no documented public debate in the materials provided. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to be framed as a local land-management and infrastructure bill, with the main policy balance being between allowing dam rehabilitation/future development and maintaining the county’s reforestation acreage. Any contention would likely center on whether the land swap and replacement protections are sufficient and whether the county should be allowed to remove land from reforestation status at all.

Impact

The bill would amend the practical application of section 219 of the County Law for Cattaraugus County by authorizing the discontinuance of designated reforested lands in Perrysburg for a specific redevelopment purpose. It affects county land-use authority, reforestation protections, and the county’s obligations when converting protected land to another use. The measure also imposes a replacement-land or replacement-value condition, which preserves the statutory reforestation program by requiring equivalent compensation in land or improvements.

Sentiment

There is no committee transcript or voting history in the provided materials, so no direct sentiment from legislators or the public can be measured. The bill’s structure suggests a generally supportive, pragmatic approach: it is tailored to a local county need and includes safeguards to preserve reforestation resources. The absence of recorded opposition or debate in the supplied context indicates no documented controversy in the materials provided, though the underlying policy tradeoff is between local development needs and conservation of reforested land.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the conversion of protected reforested land to other uses, even for a stated public purpose such as dam rehabilitation and future development. Environmental or conservation advocates might question whether the county should be allowed to discontinue reforested status at all, while local officials may view the change as necessary to address infrastructure and land-use needs. Another possible issue is whether the replacement land requirement truly offsets the loss of the original parcels, especially if the new land is not functionally equivalent or if the fair market value calculation is disputed.