New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. announced today that $25 million in funding is available under the newly formed Municipal Restructuring Fund (MRF) program to assist local government and school officials with developing transformative projects that will lead to property tax reductions for New Yorkers.

The Municipal Restructuring Fund is a grant program funded through the 2015-16 state budget with a continuous recruitment process. Projects submitted through the program will be ranked as they are received based upon established criteria until funding is exhausted. Projects will be ranked by metrics that include potential impact across local governments, service delivery areas and municipal functions, and have potential for long-term property tax savings.

The New York State Department of State plans to identify local leaders with transformative ideas, help them define viable projects with likely financial and service delivery impacts, and invest in development plans and implementation processes that will test and refine plan assumptions.

Local governments interested in partnering with the Department of State on transformative restructuring programs should contact the Division of Local Government Services, at 518-473-3355 or visit: http://www.dos.ny.gov/funding/rfa-15-mrf-27/index.html