For the last few months, the Village of New Paltz has worked with the Laberge Group on New Paltz government reorganization planning. We received a NYS Citizen Reorganization Grant (CREG) to fund the plan. We are pleased to announce we have completed the “study document” stage. Initially, we focused on creating a “dissolution” of the village plan per NYS General Municipal Law Article 17-A in order to:
- Integrate town and village services to more prudently serve our community
- Harness $1 million per annum in perpetuity via the NYS Citizen Empowerment Tax Credit (CETC) to help taxpayers.
At this point, after research and community outreach, we believe the best fit for our community and those employed by the town and village will be “consolidation,” rather than “dissolution.” We propose using the “study document” to inform the creation of a joint village board and town board “consolidation” agreement. Three important advantages of “consolidation” include:
- A “consolidation” agreement may include a legally-binding collective bargaining solution, prior to referendum, involving both unions who currently represent the town and village staff. (Employee protection and continuity of services should be airtight.)
- A referendum on whether to pursue “consolidation” would involve all town voters, whereas Article 17-A only allows village voters to participate in a “dissolution” referendum.
- A November 4th “dissolution” referendum limits time to engage voters (NYS requires that County BOE officials have at least three months before an election to include referendum details. This would require plan endorsement, adoption and public hearings all being done by the end of this July.)
Taking the next several months, through this fall, to include “consolidation” agreement details and additional community engagement will be time and effort well spent. We could work towards holding a “consolidation” special election in 2026.
Our community needs to empower present and future leaders, while holding them accountable. Creating a more sensible local government will give them a better chance to more effectively navigate the next 50 to 100 years.
Upcoming public conversations where all are welcome:
- New Paltz Fire Department (117 Henry W. Dubois Drive), Tuesday, May 27, 7 p.m. (fire department member themed discussion, but open to the public)
- Retirees’ breakfast meeting (Plaza Diner), Monday, June 2, 8 a.m.
Please feel free to call or ask to meet with any questions.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
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