Have you read the April 2008 “Report of the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness?” This report, available online, is enlightening and frightening.
Do you know that NYS has 4,720 government entities that can affect your tax bill? Do you know that New York is one of 10 states that support a village form of government? The other 40 states don't.
Allow me to use Port Byron as an example.
Our village charter, written in 1837, the rules that were created to run our government, were created at a time when a trip to Auburn was an all-day affair and a trip to Albany took weeks. Today, I can run to Auburn in 15 minutes and be in Albany in less then three hours.
In 1837, a letter mailed could take days to reach Auburn and weeks to reach Albany. Today, we can send an e-mail in milliseconds. But our government has stayed the same. Our village government was designed to serve the local population, when people worked locally, shopped locally, were born and died locally.
Today, we live here, shop and work in Auburn or Syracuse or anywhere in between. We live in a modern world. It is time for a change.
To serve a population of 2,300 people, the town and village taxpayers pay for two complete and separate governments. Two work crews, two clerk staffs, two boards, two buildings, two justice courts, two justice court clerks, two judges and so on. You town taxpayers think it doesn't matter? The town owns the medical building, the ballfields and houses, the senior homes and the library, all within the village.
What is interesting in the report cited above is a little quote, “Consolidation has been opposed as a loss of democracy.” However, that's only a code word for “don't take away my little fiefdom.” If you ask about consolidation you will be told that it can't be done because we would lose our police, water, sewer, garbage pick-up and plowing.
Nonsense! Forty other states have police, sewer service, garbage pick-up and so on, all without a village government.
In 2008, there is almost no reason to keep a governmental system designed for 1837. Let me be clear. If your village official, the people you elected to serve you, tell you it can't be done, they are lying to you. Download a copy of the report and inform yourselves.
Michael Riley
Port Byron
Allow me to use Port Byron as an example.
Our village charter, written in 1837, the rules that were created to run our government, were created at a time when a trip to Auburn was an all-day affair and a trip to Albany took weeks. Today, I can run to Auburn in 15 minutes and be in Albany in less then three hours.
In 1837, a letter mailed could take days to reach Auburn and weeks to reach Albany. Today, we can send an e-mail in milliseconds. But our government has stayed the same. Our village government was designed to serve the local population, when people worked locally, shopped locally, were born and died locally.
Today, we live here, shop and work in Auburn or Syracuse or anywhere in between. We live in a modern world. It is time for a change.
To serve a population of 2,300 people, the town and village taxpayers pay for two complete and separate governments. Two work crews, two clerk staffs, two boards, two buildings, two justice courts, two justice court clerks, two judges and so on. You town taxpayers think it doesn't matter? The town owns the medical building, the ballfields and houses, the senior homes and the library, all within the village.
What is interesting in the report cited above is a little quote, “Consolidation has been opposed as a loss of democracy.” However, that's only a code word for “don't take away my little fiefdom.” If you ask about consolidation you will be told that it can't be done because we would lose our police, water, sewer, garbage pick-up and plowing.
Nonsense! Forty other states have police, sewer service, garbage pick-up and so on, all without a village government.
In 2008, there is almost no reason to keep a governmental system designed for 1837. Let me be clear. If your village official, the people you elected to serve you, tell you it can't be done, they are lying to you. Download a copy of the report and inform yourselves.
Michael Riley
Port Byron
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brew1234 wrote on Nov 25, 2008 12:31 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Nov 25, 2008 8:26 AM: