As you drive through both the village and town of New Paltz, signs litter the side of the road saying, “vote no on consolidation.”
But Town Supervisor Tim Rogers said that, for years, he has been hoping to see the two governments become one. That would be the case within the next two years if a majority in both the town and village vote this fall to approve the dissolution of the village and its incorporation into the town.
Rogers was the mayor of the village for over 10 years before becoming town supervisor this year. He said the main reason for consolidation would be to manage expenses and tax revenue more efficiently.
“I think what's interesting is I've heard, you know, different folks making public comments saying, like, protect our village, save our village," he said Wednesday. "And I was like, I don't think they understand that the goal is to do exactly that.”
Proponents of consolidation say it leads to more efficient government and a comprehensive approach to things like economic development and long-term planning. Detractors say it can take away autonomy.
Most residents who spoke to WAMC this week were not aware of the consolidation or said they didn’t understand it.
Still, many like Village Mayor Alexandria Wojcik said there are still many unanswered questions.
Wojcik said she is a hard no on consolidation, even after being on the steering committee for drafting the joint consolidation agreement.
“Coming out of that whole process with like more questions than answers," she said. "And a lot of those questions I feel strongly the mayor should be able to answer if no one else, and they just don't have answers right now. So that's why I'm a hard no on it.”
A joint village and town meeting will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at the community center.
The vote, which would require a majority in both the town and village to pass, is on the ballot this fall. Early voting begins Saturday. Election Day is Tuesday.
