The study of Penn Yan Village and Yates County law enforcement that will be presented to the public June 10 begins the long-awaited process of finding ways to make our public entities more efficient.
The data that’s been gathered answers many questions about how we arrived at this point, such as this bit of information: Among all village tax rates in New York State in 2005-2006, Benton and Jerusalem tax rates were near the top third, while the Milo tax rate was in the top third.
The study also sparks new questions that should be answered before any final decisions are made:
If Penn Yan agrees to pay $800,000 to the county to provide some or all law enforcement coverage in the village, how soon can village taxpayers expect that amount to increase, and how much will it eventually rise to?
Along the same lines, what controls will village residents maintain over their police force? Will village government representation be permitted at the table during labor negotiations?
If the village opts to dissolve the police department, turning all law enforcement over to the county sheriff’s department, what will the additional burden, beyond the already estimated tax increase really amount to for other county residents?
If the village opts to discontinue village court operations, handing them over to the towns of Jerusalem, Benton and Milo, what provisions will need to be made to ensure people can meet their court appearance obligations if they have no transportation to courts outside the village?
What other ways can the village, county and town governments work together to decrease the local property tax burdens without having a huge impact on the quality of life?
Changes can’t be made until the public is well-informed and makes a decision through referendum. Let’s keep peeling back the layers of information until sound decisions can be made and let’s make sure the bullets we bite are our own, not ones shoved down our throats from Albany, where much more work should be done to ensure efficiencies in government at that level.
The study will be presented on June 10 at 2 p.m. in the Penn Yan Village Hall and at 7 p.m. in the Yates County Auditorium. The public is encouraged to attend either meeting.
