Here & There Column 12-28-10

Consolidate-Merge Key Words For 2011

Enough is enough and all government agencies, municipalities and school districts are now learning the hard way that they cannot continue to operate as they have in the past.
The new year brings big challenges for government and school districts as officials must come up with new efficiencies that will require partnering with other municipalities-school districts on various projects.
Consolidation and merging will loom big in 2011 and residents of Sullivan County should even seriously consider the legal process of changing the present county legislative body back to the former board of supervisors form of government.
Do the present county legislators actually believe they are doing a better job then the former board of supervisors......they are in fantasy land if they believe that.
The Village of Liberty is presently in the process of eliminating their Village Court System, a process that this municipality says cost them money each year and does not pay for itself.
Merging and consolidations might work well for all the village-town police forces to become part of the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department.
Village municipalities should merge with town municipalities and town's should consider doing the same......there is much duplication of services by all our municipalities and Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer can no longer afford the old way of running our local, county and state governments.
Governments have to access their historical ways of doing business and look at ways of reinventing themselves to save taxpayers money.
The state should proceed with a property tax cap and curb mandates placed on localities.
The State Regents is looking to expand the role of BOCES statewide and include a school district consolidation agency with its mission to pare the costs of education without students and parents noticing it in the classroom and combining services. The Sullivan County BOCES this year with the Monticello School District implemented a merger by creating a Central Business Office......this should be expanded for all school districts.
The Regents now wants districts to bring on broader-scale consolidations.......measures taxpayers should demand.
High taxes are killing New York State as proven by the recent Census which has resulted in the Empire State losing two seats in the House of Representatives......and it all comes down to the fact that upstate New York is dying....killed by high taxes.
New York State has helped drive out high-income citizens and middle-class jobs with heavier tax burdens and on the opposite side of the coin is Texas with the second lowest taxes in the nation and for this they have gained in population which helped them gain four seats in the House.
We have to turn the economy around and consolidations and mergers will result in a meaningful impact on the property taxpayer which might save this state as it is very evident that people vote with their feet and flee to low-tax states.
Happy New Year.