The New Village Dissolution Process
Recent changes in New York State law will make it easier to dissolve any state village like Kenmore. Filing petitions containing only 10% of registered Village voters would force this proposition to a vote, even if 90% of registered voters do not wish to dissolve the Village. It could also force the Village to undertake a very costly dissolution study to plan for the process of dissolution. The average cost of a dissolution study is almost $60,000; this amount must be paid by the tax payers of the Village.
- Signatures may be obtained on a petition for dissolution of the Village. The old law required 33% of registered voters to submit the petition the new law requires only 10%.
- Once the required number of signatures has been obtained, the petition may be submitted to the Village Clerk for confirmation of the signatures. These must be verified by the Clerk in only 10 days (!)
- If the signatures are verified then the Village must hold a special election in 60-90 days.
- Should residents vote to not dissolve then the process ends but it may be brought up again every four years ad nauseum.
- Should residents vote to dissolve then the Village must conduct a study on dissolution. The average cost of a dissolution study is $59,000. A plan by the Village would then be created based in part on the results of the study; the plan must be submitted within 180 days.
- Once the plan is complete the Village presents the plan to the Town.
- The Town reviews the plan. The Town is under no obligation to accept the Village’s plan in whole or part. The Town is not required to honor existing zoning or code requirements. The Town is under no obligation to hire any Village employees.
- The Town may or may not accept the Village plan or it may create a plan of its own.
- In the new law, Town residents do not have the opportunity vote to accept the plan or responsibility for the Village. *Please note that under the new law, the dissolution vote must be held before any study is done.
Read the new law for yourself.
Village Dissolution Facts
- 19 Villages have dissolved since 1974. In all cases there has been little difference in cost savings to residents. In most of these cases Town taxes have gone up for all Town residents. There has been a loss in services provided.
- The Village of Kenmore is the largest Village in WNY. At the last census we numbered 16,500 residents living in the 1.44 miles of the Village boundaries. This makes us one of the most densely populated places in the state and the nation.
- Should you choose to sign the petition, you are not allowed by the new law to change your mind and remove it. Once it is on the petition, even if you signed many years ago, you may not remove it.
- When a Village dissolves, Town taxing districts are created to cover the services that the Village provided. Village taxes would not be discontinued but would be replaced by a new separate Town taxing district(s). On average, when a Village dissolves, four new districts are created each with its own tax. The taxing rate of the new district is then determined by the Town.
- Village residents direct line to representation would be discontinued. The taxing district that the Town would use in place of the Village would not have separate representation, the Town Board would represent what was Kenmore. Currently none of the Town Board members live in the Village of Kenmore.
- The Village of Kenmore has the best Police and Fire response time in Erie County. Police and Fire response times in Kenmore are twice as fast as the Towns. Kenmore Police patrol with at least 3 vehicles, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
- The Village of Kenmore has an A rating from Moody’s Investments. This rating is only awarded to institutions with great fiscal integrity.
The KVIS and Village Dissolution
The KVIS has voted to accept the following statement about village dissolution. The KVIS believes that the quality of village life would diminish by dissolving the Village of Kenmore. Therefore, we accept the three stage agenda and will employ our Mission Statement to convey our belief. Just to refresh your memory, our Mission Statement is: “…to improve the quality of Village life through consistent communication, engaging education, and thoughtful action.”
The three stage Agenda mentioned above is a comprehensive plan we have developed to meet this challenge to our existence as a Village. Please see The Initiative page for more information about the Agenda.
The monetary cost of defending the Village from dissolution is high. The KVIS does not have dues and membership is free. We will be relying on donations from friends and supporter like you to help us keep Kenmore. Please seriously consider donating a generous amount from your financial resources today. Thank you.
Buffalo News: http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/04/26/1031912/residents-rally-to-preserve-village.html
