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[ message from
headquarters ]

Greetings Members!

A friendly reminder, membership dues renewal invoices for the 2025-2026 membership period were due
July 31st. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to renew your membership for another year either
online or by sending your payment to our office. In the meantime, if there is something on your mind or a
professional matter we can assist you with, please do not hesitate to call our office.
Here’s the latest updates (as of August 26th) from your NYSAPLS’ Committees, Board of
Directors and HQ Staff who are keeping busy with several ongoing projects:
Executive Board: The board met on August 7th. They reviewed the overall association’s finances and
received committee updates from several of the committees (see committee updates below). They discussed
the deficit in dues renewals compared to last year. While payments are beginning to pick-up, we are
still behind. The board discussed the upcoming surrounding state conferences and who would be available
to attend to represent New York. The Executive Board’s next meeting is scheduled in Saratoga Springs, on
Friday, September 19th.
Board of Directors: The board held their last meeting on July 15th. You can view the minutes of
our board meetings on page 30. Their next meeting is scheduled in Saratoga Springs, NY on Friday,
September 19th.
Conference Committee: The committee met virtually on August 15th. They discussed committee member
terms and the need for a volunteer to fill the 2028 host region position from ENYSLS. They are working on
details for the 2026 conference including securing overflow hotels, working on the cover/theme for the
journal and conference brochure, and booking entertainment. They reviewed samples and chose the giveaway
for the 2026 conference. They discussed plans for the marketing schedule and making calls to vendors to
remind them about sponsorships, advertising and exhibiting opportunities. Their next meeting is scheduled
for September 11th.
Constitution and By-laws Committee: The committee has not met this month. You can view the latest
revision of the bylaws here. (Be sure to login with your membership credentials to view the page.)
Education Committee: The Education Committee met on July 16th and finalized some details on the NSPS
Certified Floodplain Course to be offered during the 2026 conference. The committee also finalized the First
Friday webinars for the rest of 2025. The committee discussed the Erie Canal Screening scheduled for
September 11th and agreed it does not meet the requirements for CE credit. The committee will meet again
in September to begin discussions on webinars for 2026 and the Spring 2026 workshop.
Ethics Committee: The committee met on August 7th. They reviewed their current open cases. Chairman
Zigler drafted a letter for the committee and counsel to review addressed to county clerks in NY to share some
real property law concerns. The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for September 4th.

Finance Committee: The committee has not met this month. However, all of the committee members are
also members of the executive board which regularly review the budget monthly with staff.

Government Relations Committee: The committee’s sub technical group continues to meet to discuss
the beta GIS mapping database project. A full committee meeting will be planned later this summer.
Membership Committee: The committee met with officers of the CAALS regional on July 26th to discuss
their regional challenges. The committee will assist CAALS with efforts to engage more membership within the
regional by sending out a survey to its members. The committee also reviewed the NYSAPLS membership
reports, showing an improvement in membership renewals since the Board of Directors meeting. Unpaid

4 EMPIRE STATE SURVEYOR / VOL. 61 • NO 5 / 2025 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER