N.Y. PAR Law § 39.09

§ 39.09 Powers and duties of the commission. The commission shall have\nthe following powers:\n 1. To sue and be sued;\n 2. To have a seal and alter the same at its pleasure;\n 3. To acquire, hold and dispose of personal property for its corporate\npurposes;\n 4. To make by-laws for the management and regulation of its affairs;\n 5. To appoint an executive officer, officers, agents and employees, to\nprescribe their qualifications and to fix their compensation and to pay\nthe same out of funds of the commission;\n 6. To enter into contracts and leases, and to execute all instruments\nnecessary or convenient with any person, firm, partnership or\ncorporation, either public or private;\n 7. To accept gifts, grants, loans, or contributions from, and enter\ninto contracts or other transactions with, the United States and the\nstate or any commission of either of them, any municipality, any public\nor private corporation, individual or other legal entity, and to use any\nsuch gifts, grants, loans or contributions to advance any of its\ncorporate purposes;\n 8. To designate the depositories of its money;\n 9. To establish and re-establish its fiscal year;\n 10. To prepare an annual report on the conduct of its activities which\nshall include a financial statement for that year and a work plan for\nthe next year which may include an estimate of the resources required to\ncomplete the commission's activities to be sent to the governor, the\ntemporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly and the\nchief elected official of each municipality adjacent to the Niagara\nriver;\n 11. To contract with the state as an independent body corporate;\n 12. To organize and meet with a committee of planners for\nmunicipalities adjacent to the Niagara river regarding regional projects\nand the provision of planning services;\n 13. To designate districts and routes for planning and project\npurposes;\n 14. To create advisory committees to advise on matters of interest;\nprovided, however, there shall be created at a minimum a local\ngovernment advisory committee consisting of the chief elected official\nof each municipality adjacent to the Niagara river, or their designee,\nand a citizens' advisory committee consisting of representatives of\nlocal civic, commercial, educational, recreational, and conservation\norganizations; and\n 15. To do all things necessary or convenient to carry out its purposes\nand exercise the powers expressly given in this article; provided,\nhowever, that no power is provided to the commission to operate any\nportion of the greenway, to impose operating standards upon any\ncomponent of the system, or to take property by eminent domain.\n