Current issues, cont.

Property taxes:  I have compiled some data on property taxes that may be of interest.  There is a graphical overview of where your property taxes go and what the trend has been over the past decade. Most of property taxes go to the school, and the school fraction has been growing faster than the other demands.  There are also some comparisons to other villages, including a detailed comparison to Canton. I will be reporting more information as my work progresses.

Comprehensive Plan:  The village is undertaking a revision to our comprehensive plan. The link here will guide you to more information.  There is a document describing progress made on the existing 2001-2011 plan. Here is a link to a presentation I made to the committee on February 23, 2010; it is a brief snapshot of the village population and finances.

Police force cost:  Hiring police officers results in an enormous cost encumbrance to future village residents.  I am concerned that the post- employment benefits we commit to paying are leading us into a very difficult financial situation.  I have posted my presentation (Powerpoint file) made to the village board, and also a spreadsheet that estimates the cost of hiring police officers.

Water and Sewer districts:  The town council has again raised the issue of creating water and sewer districts outside the village boundaries.  I have thought carefully about this possibility, and my conclusion is that such districts would be detrimental to the long term future of our community.  I have found that many people tend to think it is a good idea at first, but if they spend time looking into the implications of such a policy change they realize it is not so simple a decision.  The information presented here is provided to encourage substantive public discussion.

Village Budget:  The village budget has been passed.  A copy is posted on the village website.  My brief comments. For insight into the some of the budget issues that Potsdam faces, see the benchmarking studies I have been working on. 

Hydro Project: The failure of our turbine parts contractor to deliver parts in a timely manner has put our West dam hydro project behind schedule. The village board is working hard to resolve this situation.

Court sharing:  The village and town may again consider sharing joint court space.  Comments are welcome. There is also a link to the "Dunne Report".

Grants: The Village often has opportunities to write grants seeking money for various community improvements.  I am compiling a list of possible topics for future grant writing. Your additions to the list are welcome

Housing Summit:  The village held a meeting with various folks to talk about how we can improve village housing. Here are the summary notes.  Your comments are most welcome.

Internet access:  We held a "broadband summit" meeting with several experts in providing internet access to village residents.  Your comments are welcome.

Recreation Budget: The town and village split the cost of the joint recreation program.  An analysis of budget trends shows that the users of the program contribute about 21% of the cost, with the remainder picked up by taxpayers.

Residual from the mayoral campaign: An advertisement in NCTW offered more details and contact information.  Please follow this link to find that information. Also posted is a summary of my election platform.  Copy of my remarks made at the Democratic caucus. The League of Woman Voters recently sponsored a half hour video interview of the candidates; the interview can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nF2c6L_2gM. 

Dissolution:  The village weathered the dissolution vote, but the concerns that lead to the vote still remain.  Here is some of the material that was posted on my website during the dissolution discussion: After much consideration, my feeling is that dissolution of the village is not in the best interests of our community. My thoughts are summarized in this letter. The implications of dissolving the village are complex. I have collected background information that might be helpful in understanding the implications better.  A Dissolution Study Committee has been formed.  Here is a link to the full report by the committee, as delivered to the the Village Board.

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