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Statement from Bethany town supervisor on governor's government consolidation proposal

By Howard B. Owens

Statement from Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde:

As a Veteran, a taxpayer and a lifetime resident of New York I find it very unsettling that Governor Cuomo wants to dissolve local municipalities into a single County government.

First off he (the Governor) would like to remove “Home Rule” from our communities.

For those that don’t know what “Home Rule” is, it is the right to local self-government including the powers to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals and welfare, to license, tax and incur debt. The freedom of choice, non-interference, non-intervention, political independence, self-reliance and self-subsistence.

So ask yourself why does the Governor want to do this?

The Governor is also trying to extort our municipalities into consolidation by withholding $715,000,000.

In AIM (Aid & Incentives for Municipalities) funds unless the municipalities have a plan to consolidate services by August 1, 2017 or it goes to a voter referendum at November’s election. If it doesn’t pass the Governor wants Municipalities to try it again in 2018.

Can a Governor be so out of touch with the Municipalities in his State you may wonder? Yes he is. The Municipalities already have shared service agreements to help each other in times of need. These agreements have been in place for several decades! And there is NO duplication of services.

There are 58 Counties in the State of California (for example) and only 1 County (Colusa) has kept their “Home Rule.” All the other Counties have to ask permission from the Governor to do anything. See how that’s working for them or should I say NOT working for them.

The Constitution was written by the people for the people to eliminate Kings, Queens and Dictators.

Go to your Town Board meetings, your Board of Supervisor meetings and your County Legislature meetings. Call or visit your Assemblymen and women and your Senators.

Ask questions and get informed as to what is going on in New York State.

Thomas Schneider

If California does it, it must be good.

Maybe a proposition about divorcing us from Albany, and its paycheck killing social safety net, should also be on the ballot.

Feb 15, 2017, 3:29pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

The only consolidated city-county government in California I know about is San Francisco.

I lived in four different countries during my decades in California. They all had county government and separate city governments. All those counties had multiple cities. There were no town or village governments. Areas too rural to be incorporated as cities were called "unincorporated" and fell in the jurisdiction of the county. The most notable aspect of life in unincorporated was the lack of, or at least very lax, zoning restrictions and building codes.

California also has a more robust special district system, adding another layer of government, for water districts, fire districts in rural areas, and sometimes lighting districts. And of course school districts. All supported by their own tax rates or special assessments.

Feb 15, 2017, 3:38pm Permalink

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