Broome County Consolidation

LEADERS CAUTIOUS ABOUT CONSOLIDATION:

Consolidation isn't the cure-all for what ails Greater Binghamton that some residents may be envisioning, local government leaders warned Tuesday.

Mayors and supervisors from across Broome County, who were panelists at a Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce-sponsored dialogue on local government issues, agreed that while shrinking government could lead to lower property taxes, that is a long-term outcome that needs to be kept in perspective.

"Consolidation doesn't attract wealth," said Binghamton Mayor Matthew T. Ryan. "It's not that simple."

Ways to lower government costs have created a long-standing debate among local leaders. While there has been some recent action, including Broome County collecting Binghamton's property taxes, many residents want more: Some would like village boundaries and services to dissolve into their surrounding towns.

But for rural communities, including the Town of Windsor, sharing among governments is commonplace, Supervisor Randy Williams said. While residents in the urban core want their governments to slash the number of employees, Williams said on the outskirts they get by with what they have by sharing resources.

"None of us have enough manpower," he said. "Consolidation and shared services -- that's how we exist on the outside."

Still, some residents in Johnson City plan in the next few weeks to circulate petitions calling for the village to dissolve as a way to get property tax relief. If village residents eventually voted to dissolve, the Town of Union would be required to provide government services. Mayor Harry Lewis has said he receives split reaction from village residents opposing and supporting dissolution. He wants a formal study of the costs before coming to a conclusion himself.