SPITZER BACKS STATE AID FOR DISSOLUTION:

State aid to pay for dissolution of local municipalities is proposed to stay at last year's amount in New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer's 2007-08 budget. That could bode well for Johnson City if a dissolution petition is accepted.

The proposed Executive Budget Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) program has earmarked $25 million to the Department of State Shared Municipal Services Incentive (SMSI) program to fund grants to local governments that consolidate or share services. The funding level would be the same as 2006.

A petition requesting officials to study the dissolution of Johnson City into the Town of Union is being reviewed by the village to verify its authenticity. If found valid, the petition would begin a process that would end with a village-wide vote on a plan draw up by officials to dissolve the village government.

Kyle Wilber, SMSI program manager, said Johnson City and Union last year could have each received a maximum of $400,000 to help study the potential economic impacts and the extent of efficiencies created by a possible dissolution, the legal paperwork leading to the referendum, and a dissolution plan. Under last year's program, state reimbursements covered 90 percent of the actual cost of the proposal, or a maximum of $400,000 each.
...
Charles Zettek, with the Rochester-based non-profit consulting group Center for Government Research, explained that if Johnson City's petition to study dissolution is accepted, he believes it will be the largest populated village to study dissolution.

He said the first step when he helped an appointed committee study dissolving the Village of Wellsville was to decide what services the village had and what it needed. In Johnson City, the study committee would include at least two representatives who live outside the village, but in the Town of Union.
...
The actual Wellsville dissolution study took six months to prepare, but last November's referendum vote, in which dissolution was rejected 1,000-94, didn't come until two years later.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 09:21 PM | Permalink

JC RECEIVES DISSOLUTION STUDY PETITION:

A petition was unofficially submitted Tuesday to Johnson City to begin the process of dissolving the village into the Town of Union.

Johnson City Mayor Harry Lewis said that he received a 377-page petition at his office Tuesday morning. He said he couldn't tell how many signatures were on the petition, but added it will officially be submitted at the trustees' next meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the municipal building on Main Street.

"We'll go through it and take the next step in the process and go from there," Lewis said.

Village Attorney Beth Westfall said the village will check the petition for legal specifications, which could take a month or longer. "We will go through it as quickly as we can," said Westfall, who will be checking with the Broome County election board to find out exactly how many signatures the petition needs to be legal.

If the board accepts the petition by resolution, a committee to study dissolving the village would be formed by the trustees, Westfall said. The trustees would decide the timeframe the committee would have to create a plan for dissolution. This plan would be presented at two public hearings or more, before being voted on by the public at an election.

UPDATE: JC DISSOLUTION INITIATIVE PRAISED:

Broome County Executive Barbara J. Fiala said Wednesday that she is pleased to hear that a group of residents in Johnson City has wrapped up its dissolution petition drive.

The Committee to Reduce Johnson City Taxes unofficially submitted a petition Tuesday to Johnson City to begin the process of dissolving the village into the Town of Union. The petition will officially be received at the next village board meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the municipal building on Main Street in Johnson City.
...
Fiala said if the petition is accepted, the following process will be taken:

* The village appoints a study committee, including at least two representatives of the Town of Union who reside outside Johnson City.

* The village will determine a time period for the committee to complete a dissolution proposition/plan.

* The committee will complete the plan and conduct at least one public hearing.

* The village board must conduct its own public hearing.

* The village reviews comments from the public and formally adopts the proposition/plan.

* The proposition/plan for dissolution shall be sent to the town, published and presented to voters in a regular election, held no later than 30 days after the public hearing.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 10:06 PM | Permalink

WINDSOR'S BOARD ACCEPTS PETITION TO DISSOLVE VILLAGE:

In what one resident called an historic move, the Windsor board took the first step Monday toward a possible dissolution of the village.

The board accepted a petition, signed by about 225 village residents, calling for dissolution and incorporation into the Town of Windsor. In doing so, the village became the first Broome County community where residents have formally asked for a study of the dissolution of their local government.

The next step is for the village to appoint a study committee, including two representatives of the town, to study how the village could incorporate its services into the town, and the impact on village services and taxpayers. The board will hopefully approve the committee at its November meeting, once signatures on the petitions are verified, Mayor Suzanne Salt said.
...
But once the board accepts the petition, the village must go through the entire process, ending with a public referendum on dissolution, village Attorney Beth Westfall said.

If dissolution takes place, the town board would have the final say on what services would be offered in the village, she said.

Lee said residents are not looking to do away with the village, but with a layer of government. Incorporating the village into the town could save on insurance and legal services, and could help the community compete more successfully for federal grants because it will have a larger population.

The study will take six to nine months at the least, Westfall said. The village will be looking for a grant from the state to help pay the study's cost, officials said.

The village, with a population of 901, has three full-time employees.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 08:43 PM | Permalink

RESIDENTS LEARN HOW TO DISSOLVE VILLAGES:

Signatures on a petition to dissolve a village won't automatically erase its boundaries; it's just the best way for residents themselves to initiate the discussion, Broome County's attorney said Tuesday.

"Let's support the process, move it forward, then everyone can make their own decision to support the plan or not," County Attorney Joseph Sluzar said at one of two information sessions for residents interested in circulating petitions to dissolve their villages.

As villages continue to cover costs while facing declining tax bases and increases in areas such as health insurance, County Executive Barbara J. Fiala and others believe villages should dissolve to save taxpayers money.

Since Fiala announced her "Petitioning for Progress" effort in early August, her office has received calls from residents in each of the county's seven villages who want to learn more about what dissolution would involve, said county spokeswoman Darcy Fauci.

"We're here to educate and facilitate," Fauci said. "We're not going to go out and circulate petitions."

But the county is making petitions available on its Web site, through village clerks' offices and to the two dozen residents who attended one of Tuesday's two information sessions.

In the presentations, Sluzar presented the process of dissolving a village. It can start either by residents garnering signatures from one-third of a village's registered voters or by the village board itself. From there, the town appoints a group to draft a plan for dissolution which goes through public hearings and eventually comes to a referendum.

"When you start (the dissolution process) by a petition from voters, the elected members feel that pressure more," Sluzar said.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 11:09 AM | Permalink

FIALA PRODS DISSOLUTION DEBATE:

Voters could decide to dissolve any of Broome County's seven villages as soon as 15 months from now, but first they would have to initiate the process by committing their opinions to paper, Broome County Executive Barbara J. Fiala said Wednesday.

As villages continue to feel the financial pinch from declining tax bases and spiraling costs of things such as health care premiums, Fiala and others believe villages and towns should consolidate to save taxpayers money. In order to do that legally, villages would first have to be dissolved.

Mayors in the county's two largest villages -- Johnson City and Endicott -- said they wouldn't be surprised if residents collected enough signatures to push the discussion. Johnson City and Endicott would be absorbed by the Town of Union.

Residents have the power under state law to force village leaders to develop a plan for dissolving their own municipality, Fiala said.

She said her administration will send petitions to offices in each of Broome's villages and put them on www.gobroome county.com to help educate residents. If enough signatures are collected, dissolution could come before voters as a referendum. Fiala said she will make an announcement about the petitions today.
...
If one-third of the voters in a village sign a petition and deliver it to village officials calling for dissolution, the board must come up with a plan to do it, Fiala said. The issue then goes back to the voters for a referendum and doesn't require state, county or town approval.

Fiala believes the county's role is to show the public ways they can spark the debate for consolidation but not force the issue alone. She said her administration will not solicit people to circulate petitions.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 04:32 PM | Permalink

Following up on a previous post:

JC DEBATE ADDRESSES DISSOLUTION OF VILLAGE:

Concerned about a cut in police and fire protection, some Johnson City residents balked at recent suggestions to dissolve the village into the Town of Union.

"I don't mind paying $10, $100 or $150 more a year (in taxes) to know the police will be here when I need them," said Johnson City resident Christina Haven during a packed village board meeting Tuesday evening. "Are you going to get rid of your protection for a couple bucks a year? To me, this just doesn't make sense."

After property taxes jumped 9 percent in the latest budget, many residents had asked the board during a June meeting to consider dissolving the village. The dissolution, some hope, would eliminate duplicated services between the town and the village and stem residents' ever-increasing tax bills.

Residents at the June meeting asked trustees to take a non-binding vote at Tuesday's meeting to see if they agreed on the dissolution.

At the suggestion of the village attorney, though, the trustees did not take the vote, but said they would continue to discuss the issue.
...
Jeers, bursts of sarcastic laughter and applause from the crowd followed comments from the handful of speakers in the packed meeting room. John Sullivan of Johnson City, who dominated the discussion in favor of dissolving the village, accused trustees of not acting on the dissolution.

"I don't have near the information I need to make a judgment," Trustee Donald Adams said. "I just don't. With all due respect to the people here, I do not have the information to say yes or no."
...

Some in the crowd stopped short of calling for the dissolution of Johnson City, but agreed the village government needed to act aggressively to reduce taxes.

"I don't know about dissolution," said Johnson City resident Liz Johnson. "But we have to consolidate services. This little village can't afford these high taxes."

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 08:30 PM | Permalink

RESIDENT: IT'S TIME TO ABOLISH VILLAGE:

A Baldwinsville resident is gathering signatures on a petition he hopes will lead to elimination of the village's government.

Jon Alvarez, of 67 Brown St., says taxpayers can save money by consolidating services that the towns of Lysander and Van Buren already provide.

"This is the only solution offered to us," Alvarez said. "Members of the Baldwinsville Village Board won't talk about anything to save us money."

Alvarez says he has collected more than 300 signatures on a petition. He needs at least 1,400 - one-third of the registered voter population - to place the matter before voters during the next village elections in March.

Even if Alvarez collects the required signatures and voters decide to dissolve the village, the towns would have to agree to take over village responsibilities.

"I think the support . . . has been overwhelming," Alvarez said. "People are just fed up. Taxes keep going up and up."
...

Mayor Dan O'Hara says village taxes have stayed flat or decreased slightly over the past several years. Alvarez says his taxes have increased 63 percent - from $437 in 2000 to $713 in 2006.

Alvarez criticizes O'Hara's refusal to discuss eliminating village government.
...

The mayor disagrees the village is spending taxpayer money frivolously.

"I think the village offers tremendous services and great value," he said, "and it's been very evident over the last 10 to 15 years. Our population . . . and property values have increased. People are very positive about what's been going on."

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 10:11 PM | Permalink

Here's a smart editorial from the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin:

WINDS OF CHANGE: JOHNSON CITY RESIDENTS SEEK VILLAGE DISSOLUTION:

We will only accept what we can afford." Those words by Johnson City resident John Sullivan should be the official slogan of the growing consolidation movement throughout Greater Binghamton.

His words were succinct, highlighting the essence of the problem among local communities. With myriad layers of government and repetitive services, Broome County governments are living beyond the means of the people who support them.

Sullivan made his comments during a village board meeting Tuesday night. What Sullivan and like-minded residents want is to dissolve the village into the Town of Union. That would of course be strictly in terms of government. Johnson City would always retain its identity and proud part in the history of Broome County.

What citizens want is twofold. First would be a non-binding vote from the board on whether it supports dissolving the village's government. With support of the government, the citizens would then embark on a petition drive to put a village dissolution referendum before the voters. Residents would then have a clear choice: If they want village services, they can agree to bear the increasing costs.

This of course puts village board members on the spot. And, on the record. Will they have the courage to embrace a movement that eliminates their jobs?

In a 2004 editorial in which we discussed the fact that Endicott was overburdened by debt and needed to embrace creative solutions, we wondered if Mayor Joan Pulse was up to the challenge of being its last mayor. With this new movement, now we wonder if Mayor Harry Lewis is up to the challenge of being Johnson City's last mayor. He's already planning to run for a county legislator position.

As Johnson City resident Bob Carr put it, this is not a vendetta or a means to pit trustees against each other. "We are just trying to do something before it is too late."

Some would call this movement revolutionary. If so, viva la revolucion!

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

TUPPER LAKE DISSOLUTION:

Not long ago, the town and village that make up the community of Tupper Lake took a symbolic step toward unity: the Town of Altamont adopted the name of the village it surrounds -- Tupper Lake.

Now, residents fretting about ever-rising taxes (village taxes just climbed to more than $17 per $1,000 of assessed value) are calling on local officials to change more than the name.

Thirty or so people attended at joint meeting of the town and village boards Wednesday night to urge board members to consolidate duplicative services and, perhaps, do away with the village government entirely.
...
Mayor Mickey Desmarais seemed to agree, saying he'd contact the office of Sen. Betty Little (R-Queensbury) today and ask for help in

exploring and understanding the pros and cons of

dissolving the village.

Calling the process both scary and pioneering, Desmarais said the underlying goal should be figuring out how to maintain the kinds of services the community expects -- sidewalk repair, water and sewer -- while cutting costs.

He said the Village Board is "100 percent committed" to doing that -- whether or not that means dissolution -- and would turn to experts outside village government for help.
...
"We're here to make sure if the village dissolves, it's a good thing," he said.

Residents may not leave that decision to the Village Board. Several people at Wednesday night's meeting called for the issue to be put on the ballot for November's election. And one resident pointed out that it only takes 700 signatures to get a referendum on the ballot.

"We've got to move on this," Town Councilwoman Kathy Lefebvre said. "It can't wait."

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 06:04 PM | Permalink