Broome County Consolidation

BATTLE LINES FORM ON CONSOLIDATION:

Pam McKiernan is clamoring for property tax relief.

Her family has lived in Johnson City for six years and has seen their tax bill go up about $2,000 since moving in.

McKiernan, 36, isn't sure if dissolving the village into the Town of Union is the answer, but she wants tax relief to come out of the discussion on consolidation.

"Whatever the final result is, something has to be done," she said. "Nobody wants to see people lose their jobs, but I don't want to lose my house, either."

However, critics of consolidation believe it could hurt services and jeopardize public safety if not done correctly. The Johnson City Fire Department's union distributed fliers this week asking residents to attend the village board's next meeting on Aug. 15 to let board members know "public safety is a priority," the flier says.

The union's pamphlet says that dissolving the village would mean losing village services, including fire and EMS services. It also claims response times would be longer than the current average of three minutes. Representatives from the union were not available for comment Wednesday.The push for dissolving Johnson City has gained momentum in recent months. Residents asked the board in June to take a non-binding vote to determine support for dissolution. Last month, the board decided against taking that vote, but agreed to continue discussions.