Holley goes on record seeking more state AIM funding

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 January 2017 at 4:22 pm

HOLLEY – The Village Board on Thursday joined Murray and the Albion Village Board in pressing the state to overhaul its AIM funding program, so villages and towns receive a boost in funding.

The Aid and Incentives to Municipalities program provides $715 million in aid to upstate cities, villages and towns, but 90 percent of the money goes to cities. That breaks down to $277 in aid for city residents and only $7 per capita for town and village residents.

The Village of Holley receives $17,786 in AIM funding for a village of 1,811 residents, for an average of $9.82 per village resident.

Holley has a police department, as well as street, water, sewer and other community services.

The board approved a resolution that was presented by the Orleans Hub last week in an editorial asking the governor and State Legislature to do more for villages and rural New York. More AIM funds would ease the tax burden on village residents in Orleans County, who pay some of the highest tax rates in the region.

“WHEREAS, the state’s tiny share of AIM funding for villages has put villages at a competitive disadvantage in attracting and retaining businesses and residents;

“WHEREAS, the huge disparity in AIM funding between the cities and villages is a form of state-sponsored economic discrimination, resulting in much higher tax bills for village residents and a diminished quality of life,” the resolution reads.

The Holley Village Board is sending the resolution to the governor, local state legislators, and the New York Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials.

Click here to see the AIM editorial on the Orleans Hub.

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