§ 39.09 Powers and duties of the commission. The commission shall have
the following powers:

1. To sue and be sued;

2. To have a seal and alter the same at its pleasure;

3. To acquire, hold and dispose of personal property for its corporate
purposes;

4. To make by-laws for the management and regulation of its affairs;

5. To appoint an executive officer, officers, agents and employees, to
prescribe their qualifications and to fix their compensation and to pay
the same out of funds of the commission;

6. To enter into contracts and leases, and to execute all instruments
necessary or convenient with any person, firm, partnership or
corporation, either public or private;

7. To accept gifts, grants, loans, or contributions from, and enter
into contracts or other transactions with, the United States and the
state or any commission of either of them, any municipality, any public
or private corporation, individual or other legal entity, and to use any
such gifts, grants, loans or contributions to advance any of its
corporate purposes;

8. To designate the depositories of its money;

9. To establish and re-establish its fiscal year;

10. To prepare an annual report on the conduct of its activities which
shall include a financial statement for that year and a work plan for
the next year which may include an estimate of the resources required to
complete the commission's activities to be sent to the governor, the
temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly and the
chief elected official of each municipality adjacent to the Niagara
river;

11. To contract with the state as an independent body corporate;

12. To organize and meet with a committee of planners for
municipalities adjacent to the Niagara river regarding regional projects
and the provision of planning services;

13. To designate districts and routes for planning and project
purposes;

14. To create advisory committees to advise on matters of interest;
provided, however, there shall be created at a minimum a local
government advisory committee consisting of the chief elected official
of each municipality adjacent to the Niagara river, or their designee,
and a citizens' advisory committee consisting of representatives of
local civic, commercial, educational, recreational, and conservation
organizations; and

15. To do all things necessary or convenient to carry out its purposes
and exercise the powers expressly given in this article; provided,
however, that no power is provided to the commission to operate any
portion of the greenway, to impose operating standards upon any
component of the system, or to take property by eminent domain.