Paying Two Governments Costs Twice As Much
To the Readers' Forum:
I hear so many complain about high property taxes in Western New York. Ask these folks if they know that they pay their town for duplicate service of that received from the county.
Therefore paying for two governments to do the same job costs twice as much. They respond yes but if we eliminated town governments we would lose our identity.
Could you help me understand what identity you are preserving? I am only asked on town forms what township I live in. Your children who moved out of state to have a job never give where they are from as town of Ellicott, or town of Harmony, They may give Falconer or Chautauqua County. I am truly seeking this identity that makes it worth paying the fourth highest property taxes in the country.
The people going to other parts of the country do not seem to have a problem in giving up this wonderful identity. So please tell me, what value do I get from township government? And can I get some of this identity that I am paying so much for?
Jim Walker
Falconer
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BudZilla
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11-05-09 1:54 AM
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dvdgarofalo: You are correct.
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dvdgarofalo
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11-02-09 7:47 PM
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If I live in a village, don't I pay 3 taxes? Village- Town- County If I live in Falconer and they plow the road instead of Ellicott, does Ellicott refund for not plowing? Not to my knowledge. Aren't I then paying for a service twice and only getting it once? This would be worse than paying for a service twice and getting it twice. (which obviously is not good either) Please correct me if needed.
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Emelye
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11-02-09 10:58 AM
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We can still downsize while preserving local services. The two actions are not mutually exclusive. What would be saved would be the cost of redundant management and administrative functions that have been layered on top of the actual services the agencies are tasked to provide. Of course, this means some people will lose their jobs. This reality is what most forcefully stands in the way of true county government consolidation. What we need is a real leader at the top, a county executive that will work towards providing the opportunity for a public vote on consolidation. We can't expect the politicians and bureaucrats to give up their plush spots on their own. The citizens of this county need real leadership and the opportunity to advance our interests more directly for this issue. It's too bad that real leadership is still MIA.
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bobbyb
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11-01-09 5:55 PM
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Duplication of services: living in a town that has village police, county police and state police. The taxpayers are paying for all three. There is no need to have separate highway departments for the towns, clerk duties, superintendent, etc. In my town not one person up for election has an opponent--time to downsize. Mr. Walker is correct.
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LindaD
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11-01-09 6:15 AM
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"Government consolidation" is the latest fad here in WNY based on the claim that it will save tax dollars. That's very debatable. If you live in Falconer, for example, the village DPW maintains and plows your streets. Does the town of Ellicott then come along and also maintain and plow those same streets? That's duplication of services, and it just doesn't happen. If you live in the village of Randolph, you have public water, sidewalks, street lights, etc, and the rest of Randoph doesn't. Most of your village taxes go to cover the cost and maintenance of those services. If Randolph were to unincorporate, those costs don't get spread out among all of the taxpayers in the town. The town board will set up a special assessment district to levy taxes/use fees to cover the services in the former village. What the residents of the former village will "save" is the right to make their own decisions about what services are important to them.
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BudZilla
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11-01-09 2:53 AM
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The people raking in the paychecks for the duplication are the ones making the fuss about identity. Follow the money, it always leads to the true evil.
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