Governor Cuomo appointed members to the NY Works Task Force, a group given the responsibility of coordinating a statewide infrastructure plan that will more effectively and strategically allocate the state’s capital investment funding. As YNN's Erin Clarke tells us, the group is making a consorted effort to be transparent when making these decisions.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Recent water main breaks, like the one on Burnett and South Crouse avenues, are no surprise to Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner.

Miner said, "When you see an infrastructure that is over a hundred years old, you're going to start to see that. We've had three weeks where we've had a water main break every single night."

Organizing a plan to efficiently rebuild those and other vital parts of New York State is the charge given to the NY Works Task Force by Governor Cuomo. Thursday, the group held a public forum in Syracuse to share with the public exactly what they do.

"Agencies were putting together their own capital plans in a vacuum and not talking to each other. Now we're putting them all together and saying that when we start making decisions about millions and millions of dollars of infrastructure investments we should be doing it on a systematic basis," said Miner.

The Task Force's other goal is to make sure taxpayers know how the money is being spent

"Hearing Margaret Tobin discuss this desire to bring collaboration together, I think is really the direction that New York has to take to be competitive," said David Gower, Center for Evaluation of Clean Energy Technology Executive Director.

And get a say in whether it is being allocated the right way.

"Transparency is a very big issue and as I said in the beginning, infrastructure is something that affects every single New Yorkers," Miner said.

The group hopes to encourage more dialogue and do away with an atmosphere of government making decisions without the people it affects.

Two more forums will be held this month in Albany and on Long Island.

You can still take part in the conversation and learn more about what the NY Works Task Force. Visit www.empire.state.ny.us for more information.