Consolidation study didn’t show much savings for average taxpayer
Editor:
I’d like to thank Mr. Capurso for his recent insights regarding community consolidation. I read with care the NY State Local Government Efficiency report on the Village & Town of Albion plus Gaines – paying close attention to the appendixes.
Mr. Capurso deserves credit for uncovering this information. The report runs over 100 pages however it took me just a few pages in to provide what I think is the most likely explanation for Mr. Capurso.
The larger savings number – $736,000 – is divided among 12,000 Albion & Gaines residents. Divide the larger number by the smaller number and you get a total annual per household tax savings of just $61 per year – or $5 per month in reduced taxes. The smaller number – $535,000 – reduces annual household tax by just $44/year – or about $3.60 per month per household.
I’ll throw this out there to Mr. Capurso as a best guess: I have a sneaking suspicion that no significant consolidations have taken place in our area because the time-cost to do so is very large while the average person’s tax burden is only reduced by what amounts to a couple of large pizzas and a 12-pack per year.
Respectfully,
Darren D. Wilson
Lyndonville
