By Max Oppen
TANNERSVILLE – The Village of Tannersville invites residents to join a virtual presentation and Q&A session on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. This Public Information Meeting will update the Village dissolution plan and allow residents to provide input and ask questions.
To participate in the meeting, attendees must register at www.labergegroup.com/tannersville/meetings. Upon registration, participants will receive a confirmation email with details on joining the Zoom session. For those unable to access Zoom, the Village Hall will livestream the meeting.
The Village's first public meeting on the potential dissolution occurred earlier this year. The Village of Tannersville, alongside the Laberge Group, hired as dissolution consultants, convened a pivotal public meeting to discuss the prospect of dissolution. Residents gathered to gain insights and voice their concerns about this significant decision. The initial meeting was well-attended, with Ben Syden, Vice President of Laberge Group, and Kathleen Rooney, Local Government Specialist for Laberge Group, presenting the complex facets of the dissolution process. Their hour-long presentation, rich with data and analysis, aimed to empower residents with the necessary knowledge to navigate this intricate issue.
Since the first meeting, the Laberge Group has interviewed several Village department heads and met with town officials, providing reports to local officials. The discussion was framed within New York State's Article 17-A, enacted in 2010, outlining the legal framework for Village dissolution or consolidation. Tannersville's decision to pursue a Board-initiated process instead of a petition highlights a cautious approach, allowing ample time for research, planning, and community engagement.
Syden, leveraging Laberge Group's extensive experience, remarked, "This marks the 15th or 16th government reorganization process we've facilitated. We want to develop a dissolution plan that safeguards your community identity." He further explained that the group will address zoning disparities, as the Village has zoning regulations while the Town does not, and plan the future of village employees post-dissolution.
The Laberge Group has also created a dedicated Q&A website, including an FAQ page available at www.labergegroup/tannersville.com. This site is a repository for essential resources and facilitates community interaction, allowing members to submit questions and stay informed.
In the following steps, Laberge will draft a study document to be reviewed by the Village Board and then presented to the public. The Board must endorse the plan and hold a public hearing before deciding whether to bring the plan to a referendum. If Village residents vote against dissolution, the issue will be "dead for four years," according to Syden.
However, the Village could still explore consolidation with the Town or the neighboring Village of Hunter. Notably, this is the first dissolution process the Laberge Group has worked on involving a Town with two villages and a Village with a wastewater treatment plant agreement with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The upcoming virtual meeting is crucial for residents to stay informed and engage in decision-making.
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