§ 299-x. State aid. 1. Recognizing that general public benefits, in terms of flood prevention, and erosion control, will accrue to the people of the state, through the establishment of small watershed protection projects because such benefits will go beyond the limits of watershed districts and their parent counties; and recognizing that the health, welfare, and prosperity of our people is enhanced by the proper management, wise use, and development of our soil and water resources; it is hereby declared to be a proper state purpose for the state to provide financial reimbursement to the counties for a part of certain local costs which must be met in the establishment of watershed projects.

2. Such reimbursement shall not exceed one-half of the local expenditure for the land, easements, and rights-of-way which are necessary and required for the construction of flood prevention works, not including land treatment measures, for which federal aid for construction costs is granted pursuant to the said "Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act". In the case of a joint project pursuant to section two hundred ninety-nine-t, each county of this state participating therein shall be entitled to claim for and receive state aid in accordance with its pro rata share of the liabilities or expenditures incurred or undertaken by said county on account thereof. Application for such state reimbursement shall be made each year by the county board of supervisors to the commissioner of conservation on or before such date, and in such form and manner, as may be prescribed by him. After his determination that such requests and the amounts thereof are proper and in compliance with this article, he shall submit a separate request for each project, as a part of his annual budget requests and estimates for the department of conservation. The budget item for each project shall contain the name of the project, the county or counties in which located, and the amount of state reimbursement requested therefor.

3. After funds have been appropriated therefor and are available, the commissioner shall certify to the comptroller for payment the amount of state reimbursement due each county. The amount so certified by the commissioner, after audit by and on the warrant of the comptroller, shall be paid to the county treasurers of the respective counties to which state reimbursement is due.

4. The provisions of this section shall apply to projects, for which reimbursement made subsequent to April first, nineteen hundred sixty-three, was limited to twenty thousand dollars, to the extent of the difference between twenty thousand dollars and one-half of such local expenditure.