Dissolving the Village of Cobleskill could be on the November ballot if supporters have their way.
Meeting for the first time last Tuesday, the committee named to consider the possibility began with an eight-page draft put together by Mayor Mike Sellers, who chairs it.
The draft is intended as a “template,” said Trustee Bob LaPietra, who worked with Mayor Sellers on it, but isn’t on the dissolution committee.
“It’s a suggested plan for how to handle the process if the village is going to dissolve,” said Mr. LaPietra.
Any plan for dissolution has to be adopted by the Village Board and then is subject to at least two public hearings.
Mr. LaPietra wants to fast-track the whole process, starting with the plan’s adoption at the village’s September meeting.
“I don’t know if it’s the perfect plan, but at some point, the village has to get off the dime,” Mr. LaPietra said. “Is the time ever going to be right?”
When fellow trustee Mark Galasso ran for his post four years ago, he campaigned on the platform of dissolution.
He’s running again—and on the same platform.
“I ran then and I’m running again for one reason: To dissolve the village,” Mr. Galasso said.
He, too, would like to see the question on the November 3 ballot, but he wants to make sure the village has a solid plan first.
“If we can get it together…getting it on the ballot is my goal, too ” Mr. Galasso said, “and I believe it’s a realistic one. But we don’t know what hurdles we may come up against.”
Should voters approve dissolving the village, it would cease to exist on December 31, 2010, Mr. Galasso said, giving both the village and town 14 months to sort out the details.
Both the draft dissolution plan and the timetable were expected to be discussed at last night’s village board meeting.
Once the plan is finalized, it will be posted on the village website.
A study by village consultants, the Center for Governmental Research, found no real savings in dissolving the village, but Mr. Galasso and Mr. LaPietra argue otherwise.
Neither are taking salaries now; add to that the salaries of the mayor and the rest of the board if the village is dissolved, the elimination of the village court and attorney, and the money starts to add up, maybe as high as $200,000, Mr. Galasso said.
“But that’s not my primary motivation,” he added. “I’m looking at efficiency, transparency, and better service.”
Both men also argue that with dissolution, the village and town will no longer be competing for growth and the revenue it brings, eliminating the near-constant need for annexation, and allowing the town to remain predominantly rural—and agricultural.
Among the highlights of the draft dissolution proposal:
• All village property—the village hall, parks, sewer and water treatment plants, fire house, roads, and sidewalks—would become town property, as would things like office equipment, furniture, and tools.
• All village positions and jobs will be eliminated with the work taken over by town staff.
• The town will establish water and sewer districts and a refuse district.
• The town will provide town-wide code enforcement services.
• The village police department will become a town police department and taxed on a town-wide basis.
• All village debt will pass to the town.
If dissolution is on the November ballot, only village residents will be able to vote on it.