Town of Pembroke officials ran through a series of issues Monday evening they might face if Village of Corfu residents go through with a referendum to dissolve their government.
There are legal questions to be answered and issues about how to resolve certain expenses related to the village, but in the end, Supervisor Annie Lawrence acknowledged, the question of dissolution isn't really the town board's call.
"We don't run the show," Lawrence said. "This is their decision. There isn't really anything the town can do other than be as prepared as we can be for the town to absorb the village."
The town will have to deal with issues related to village street lighting, brush pick up, sidewalks and police coverage, all under the legal obligation to ensure whatever is done for the village must a service provided to the entire town. Either that or set up special districts.
Town Attorney Mark Boylan said that in his opinion, there need not be a special district set up for street lights because the town currently has street lights at some intersections.
Since National Grid owns and maintains the village street lights, there is no anticipated future capital expense for the lights, just the $10,000 or so annually to keep them lit.
Street lights, then, can be a general fund expense shared by the entire town if there's no longer a village government.
Sidewalks are a stickier issue. There are some sidewalks in East Pembroke. But for the most part, the town doesn't need to repair or replace sidewalks, therefore it's harder to legally justify making sidewalks a town-wide expense, Boylan explained.
It's more likely, a sidewalk district would need to be defined for the area of the village and a special assessment levied on residents within that district.
Parts of the village that don't currently have sidewalks could, theoretically at least, be carved out of the district, but then a whole new district would need to be created if those neighborhoods ever wanted sidewalks.
On brush pick up, the town would either need to increase the frequency of pick up for the entire town, decrease the frequency for the village, or ask everybody to self-service brush drop-off at a composting station. The service would need to be equal across all areas of the town.
On the issue of police, in order for the village police department to survive the dissolution, the town would have to take on the expense of a police department that patrols the entire town. That would mean expanding the department, hiring more officers, buying patrol vehicles, thereby making the whole operation expensive.
Or the town could contract, perhaps for about $60,000 a year, with the Sheriff's Office to provide extra coverage in the town. While that would likely mean increased patrols in the village, the town cannot contract just for village coverage. The patrols would be responsible, during their shifts, for the entire town.
The village currently has about $250,000 in capital reserves. Boylan said he's waiting for clarification from the state on how that money could be used after the dissolution.
Could it be dedicated to the needs of the present village residents -- such as sidewalks -- or must it just get mixed in with the town's general fund?
"Unfortunately, the state is not every clear," Boylan said. "They are not very clear in the least on how this is supposed to play out."
One solution is for the village government to spend the reserves down if the dissolution resolution is passed by village residents, thereby ensuring the funds collected from village residents provides services for village residents.
No date has been set for a vote on dissolution. But when it does take place, dissolution cannot occur in the same year the vote is taken, so there will be some delay between the vote and the date the village government ceases to exist.
wow.... the best part is the
wow.... the best part is the "revenue raising" police department will be gone.... karma at it's best.......somebody let me know when they get fired so I can kick my heels and put in a bid on one of those cruisers..... too bad the town has to clean up the mess.
lmao haha I will donate $500.00 to the town if I am allowed to tell them "you're fired" omg ... the best story I have ever read in The Batavian......ha ha can I get a thumbs down.......Officer, I smell marijuana, you're fired.. lol.......
The big question, David is
The big question, David is how come Oakfield has roughly 4 times the population of Corfu, but has no police dept. and does not need to contract to the county for increased patrols in the village? As an objective observer, I think they can just disband the Corfu Police Dept., replace it with nothing and everything will be just fine.
and.......... they take out
and.......... they take out the traffic light, install 4 stop signs, then turn off the street lights and poof !! the village becomes the country like the rest of pembroke.... happy days are here again...
One phrase: Concerts at
One phrase: Concerts at Darien Lake.
How rightful it will be if
How rightful it will be if the Corfu nemesis of it's local police "force" [which has nothing much better to do than set in traps and write speeding/cell phone violations to create enough revenue to justify it's existence] is finally banished.
I'm sure concerts at Darien Lake already get a sizable increase in Sheriff coverage... probably State Police too on the perimeter.
Dave, I'm pretty sure a
Dave, I'm pretty sure a number of years ago, Oakfield did contract with the Sheriff for additional coverage, but then decided it wasn't necessary. BTW, actually, many years ago [when I was a youngster] Oakfield had a full time, resident police officer. He used to come and get my dad when he needed assistance. [I remember him coming to the house and saying to my Dad, "Steve get your gun I need you to come with me"... that's when the country worked they way it was intended. When the power of law enforcement and militia resided with the law abiding, armed citizenry].
Howard; why should the people
Howard; why should the people of Corfu or the town of Pembroke be financially responsible for policing the heavy traffic caused by Darien Lake? The town of Darien rakes in beau-coup bucks from busting underage drinkers and other concert attendees for smoking marijuana and the aggressive DWI hunts. They can pony up for the extra cost. Furthermore, the county should stop giving tax breaks to Darien Lake and if extra deputies are required for traffic control in Corfu, they can reimburse the county.
Dave, I didn't say that. I
Dave, I didn't say that. I just explained the difference between Oakfield and Corfu. Darien Lake in general and concerts in particular have a big impact on Corfu, and there's good and bad that go with it.
Believe me, I understand that
Believe me, I understand that quite well. My question is why should Corfu and Pembroke be providing a police dept. because of something caused by a private company in a neighboring town?
Brian. I believe you speak of
Brian. I believe you speak of Officer Ross. I'm not 100% sure of his 'official' title, but if memory serves me correctly, he was a constable. I remember him.
You're correct Ed, he was a
You're correct Ed, he was a Constable. His first name was Roland and most of the people in the Village referred to him as "Cop Ross". I'm pretty sure the "Constable" position was vacated in the very late 60's or early 70's at the latest.
I remember him very well myself... he lived not very far up the road from us so I saw him practically every day. He lived about half way up "Mortgage Hill"... just past the driveway to the "Rec Pond". Are those landmarks ringing any bells Ed?
Thanks, Ed. That would be a
Thanks, Ed.
That would be a 'no', on the landmarks question. As I lived in South Alabama at the corner of Judge & Maple, up 'til the ripe old age of 12, my time in the village of Oakfield was somewhat limited (other than school stuff, I mean).
Haircut's at Kais', a cherry-Coke at the local 'spot', and, if extremely lucky, a quick (juvenile curiosity) spotting of (Pug) Newton (kinda ashamed of that now, but, as I said, I was a kid).
And, of course, Officer Ross.
Ahhh yes... Judge & Maple!
Ahhh yes... Judge & Maple! My mother rented a small apartment adjoining the store on the corner there facing Judge Rd for a brief period of time until she passed away, that was in the late 70's.
I don't know if that was a store when you lived there or not as I didn't spend any time in South Alabama before I got my first car... that was in 1969.
Yep, same place, Ed. My mom &
Yep, same place, Ed. My mom & eldest sister (Pat) ran the grocery store from 7 AM -11 AM, Mon-Sat. There were 8 in our family, counting mom & dad, above the store, and @ '57, Pat married a local, had a baby & they fixed the lower-right into an apartment for the 'newlyweds'. So, for a while, there were 10 of us. Funny, it never seemed cramped, but, we were a close family, and remained that way thru the years.
Lots of good memories.