Next Thursday I travel to the NYSSBA Convention in NYC. One of the parts I look forward to is a meeting with the Commission on Local Government & Competitiveness. Many of my fellow Dems may disagree, but I strongly believe in this group's mission, though I suspect they face an uphill battle. Whether we think it can work or not, it's a conversation we must have.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Consolidation
Next Thursday I travel to the NYSSBA Convention in NYC. One of the parts I look forward to is a meeting with the Commission on Local Government & Competitiveness. Many of my fellow Dems may disagree, but I strongly believe in this group's mission, though I suspect they face an uphill battle. Whether we think it can work or not, it's a conversation we must have.
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This is thought provoking. I confess that I like my Town Board so I have a knee-jerk reaction that screams, "Leave us alone. We're doin' a good job."
Governor Spitzer refers to "4,200 taxing jurisdictions." The Local Initiatives Booklet lists "4,250 government entities," most of which are not taxing jurisdictions. And the model projects described in the Local Initiatives Booklet seem to add a layer of bureaucracy rather than eliminating any.
So, I'm confused. But, you're right, it's worth making time for the conversation.
The part that strikes me funny is how the people who raise these questions seem to assume that the answers are obvious.
My guess is that a close look will demonstrate that they're definitely not obvious. Dryden has a pile of water and sewer and lighting districts, but I can imagine the screaming if we tried to consolidate them.
On school districts, I have to say that I think the current lines make very little sense, but I don't think there's any easy way to fix that. Countywide school districts? By town or city?
I can already hear the screaming.
Oh, yes, the screaming. Think primary schools. Think fire districts. But I'm fascinated to see what the state reps have to say about this.
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