Town of Kingsbury

Village, Town at Intersection:

When Hudson Falls resident Brenda Ross said it was a pleasure to pay taxes on her property in South Carolina, her community's collective jaw dropped.

"Things are different there," Ross said during a public hearing discussing a merger of the Kingsbury and Hudson Falls court systems. "Taxes on six acres of land is $253 annually. I pay $6,000 in Hudson Falls. The reason is, South Carolina has one layer of government -- the county."

And while village residents largely rejected merging court services, all agreed taxes are too high and something must be done about it.

Some are proposing Hudson Falls dissolve into Kingsbury; some are suggesting Kingsbury dissolve into Hudson Falls to make a city; and some are taking a middle ground, proposing an increase in shared services.

The state Comptroller's Office has reported that, among the state's 932 towns, 554 villages, 62 cities and 57 counties, growth in outstanding debt is exceeding growth in revenue.

Between 1995 and 2005, outstanding debt increased 94 percent for local governments, while revenues grew 54 percent. Village debt statewide rose $800 million, to almost $1.7 million, from 1995 to 2005.