N.Y. ENV Law § 15-1907

§ 15-1907. Drainage improvement associations.\n 1. There shall be in each drainage improvement district an association\nto be known by the name of the district, as ............. ............\nDrainage Improvement Association. It shall be the object of this\nassociation to represent the interests of its members in drainage\nmatters before the department and elsewhere and to serve as a channel of\ncommunication between the members thereof and the department. Each owner\nof land within the district, each lessee of such land and each person\nwho has contracted to purchase such land shall be a member of and shall\nhave an equal vote in the association. Such association may be formed\nvoluntarily as soon as the department has filed its first description of\nthe boundaries of the district. As soon as practicable after recording\nthe final order creating a district, the association, if already formed,\nshall call a meeting of the members of the association and perfect a\npermanent organization.\n 2. If no association has been formed, the department may call a\nmeeting for the purpose of forming such association and a representative\nof the department shall preside thereat until a temporary chairman is\nelected. Such association shall adopt by-laws for the transaction of\nits business. The association shall choose from among its members a\npresident, secretary and executive committee and such other officers and\ncommittees as the by-laws may provide. It shall be the duty of the\nsecretary to keep a list of the members and their addresses and to\nfurnish the department with copies of such list on request. The annual\nmeeting of the association shall be held during the month of February in\neach year, at which meeting the officers shall be elected and the\nassociation shall determine upon the drainage maintenance or\nconstruction work desired during the ensuing year.\n 3. Immediately after the close of the annual meeting the secretary of\nthe association shall submit to the department a list of the names and\naddresses of the officers for the year and, if there be such, petitions\nsetting forth the desires of the association and of the members thereof.\n 4. To defray the costs of the necessary meetings, the association may\ncollect dues or contributions from its members.\n