News stories tagged with "dissolution"

(11/04/11) Next Tuesday, Potsdam village residents will vote on whether to dissolve the village. Potsdam isn't the only village to consider this--Budgets are tight and the state is offering incentives to eliminate layers of government.

Massena's looked into dissolution; and Waddington has decided not to pursue it for the moment. Malone's dissolution study committee met for the first time Wednesday night. Other villages in the region and state are moving through the process as well.

In Potsdam--a village of about 10,000 within a town of about 16,000-- arguments for and against dissolution turn on economic development, public safety, and of course, property taxes--but as Nora Flaherty reports, uncertainty may also play a very big role in how villagers vote: more

(05/04/11) Waddington, population 736, is only one of several north country villages to consider dissolution. Massena, Potsdam and others have thought about it too--But Waddington's farther along in the process than some. more

(02/28/11) This spring, residents of Potsdam will get their first look at a study of whether the village of Potsdam should disappear as a government body.

Governor Cuomo has said he wants to provide financial help for villages that consolidate into their surrounding towns.

Several other villages are also looking at the issue, including Mannsville in southern Jefferson County.

In 2009, a new law made it easier to dissolve local governments. But so far, every village that has voted on the issue has chosen not to dissolve. One exception is the village of Altmar in Oswego County. Reporter Dave Bullard explains the issue is more complex than it might seem.

(03/11/10) Next Tuesday, when most voters in the North Country are choosing new local government leaders, the residents of Port Henry will decided whether their village should exist at all. Other villages, from Lake George to Potsdam to Saranac Lake are considering similar measures. It is part of a statewide push to cut costs and reduce bureaucracy. But as Brian Mann reports, the decision also brings a sense of loss and even grief.

(03/10/10) Next week, voters in Port Henry in the Champlain Valley will decide whether to dissolve their village. If the ballot measure passes, local services would be provided in the future by the town of Moriah.

Today and tomorrow we'll be looking at local governments across the North Country that are thinking about merging or going out of business. The idea is being considered from Lake George to Potsdam to Saranac Lake. It's an effort to save money at a time when property taxes are a hotbutton issue and state aid from Albany is shrinking.

This morning, Brian Mann talks with Charles Zettek, with the Center for Governmental Research, a think-tank that helps local governments that are thinking about dissolving. Zettek served as a consultant to the village of Port Henry.