The third phase of Albany County’s proposed shared-services plan could save as much as $7 million in the long-term. 

In order to receive more matching funds, Albany County’s municipalities have decided to wait until next year to re-submit their shared-services plan to the state.

An updated version of Albany County’s shared services plan will go before a collection of municipal and school district leaders throughout the county for a vote.

Albany County’s adopted-shared services plan includes eight proposals, ranging from shared health insurance to joint utility purchases.

The draft of a shared-services plan for Albany County includes a recommendation to consolidate the town of Berne’s highway department with the county’s Department of Public Works.

At a town board meeting, Rensselaerville residents and town board members discussed the upcoming county-wide shared-services plan due Aug. 1. Much of the meeting involved questions without answers.

With counties across New York State working to submit a plan to save money through shared municipal services by Aug. 1, some town governments have been trying to keep up —  wary of consolidation, anxious to save taxpayers money, or simply reeling from the fast pace.

The study is in part from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan to save money by consolidating municipal services, with the town of Knox also eyeing a merger of its own.

Glenn Hebert will work on-site in Altamont for five hours a week, costing the village $10,335 per year.

Berne can look forward to having a roof over its salt and sand, Supervisor Kevin Crosier said during the town’s reorganizational meeting on Jan. 1 as he described projects for Berne in 2015.