Shelby and Ridgeway should pay attention to Medina dissolution effort

Editor:

Recently the Orleans Hub carried a story updating the work of the committee to dissolve the village of Medina. As a member of the Conservative Party committee in Orleans County, looking at government spending at the local and county levels, I have several questions and comments.

This story stated “the sense of the committee is we want to continue the existing services.” Given that statement, on the surface, it would seem the end result would be a shifting of some of the expense of these village services to the taxpayers in the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway residing outside the village.

What other advantage would there be for the village of Medina? Town residents in Shelby and Ridgeway, please get involved and find out what the village has in mind!

In addition to the question above, it was stated the village received a $50,000 grant from the state to “pay for nearly the entire cost of the dissolution plan.”

First, it seems to us Conservatives that $50,000 is a lot of money to pay for “nearly the entire plan.” Second, how muchis that part of the plannot covered by the state grant going to cost the local taxpayers? Third, it seems, again on the surface, not only are the residents of Shelbyand Ridgeway going to help pay, but thetaxpayers across New York are going to pay as well. Any and all money any level of government has or spends is tax (our) money!

Finally, town officials in the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway stated they are not obligated to follow a dissolution plan put forward by the village, which makes this whole exercise, should it take place, a waste of time and more importantly a waste of our money.

Please, everyone, get involved, attend your local and county meetings. Make sure our representatives truly are working for us. We understand the village of Medina has financial problems. We also agree they are real and severe but the Conservative approach to these financial problems is to cut spending, which does mean a cut in services.

The alternative is to increase taxes, but that increase should be for those folks who receive the services and only after a vote is taken.

Ken Longer
Kendall
Orleans County Conservative Party Committee

(Editor’s note: The Center for Governmental Research is being paid $55,555 to work on the dissolution plan. Click here for a previous article about that.)