Members of the Sweden Town Board and the Brockport Village Board sat down together to discuss issues of interest to both municipalities as well as shared services which would reduce property taxes, during a joint workshop session held Thursday, June 15, at the Sweden Town Hall.
Sweden Supervisor Rob Carges said Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo planned to meet Wednesday, June 21, with town supervisors, village mayors and school district superintendents from around the county as part of Governor Cuomo’s County-Wide Shared Services Initiative included in the enacted 2018 state budget.
The goal of the initiative is to save taxpayers money by identifying collaborative opportunities for shared services between as many local governments as possible.
“What we already share doesn’t count,” Mayor Margaret Blackman said. “We have to come up with new ideas.”
The county-wide panel will develop an initial shared services plan which will be submitted to the county legislature by August 1. If the plan is approved – following public hearings and modifications – it will be submitted to the Division of Budget and be shared with county residents. If it fails, the county executive will then attempt to produce an approved plan by the 2018 deadlines.
Plans that create actual and demonstrable savings across multiple jurisdictions may be eligible for a one-time match of the net savings resulting from new actions implemented pursuant to the Plan.
Brockport and Sweden leaders expressed their frustration with the process. Both Supervisor Carges and Mayor Blackman detailed a long list of services which are already shared through inter-municipal agreements such as the sharing of a sewer camera between Brockport, Hilton and Spencerport and the sharing of salt storage between the Town of Sweden and the Brockport Central School District.
“Simple savings don’t count unless you are lowing taxes,” Mayor Blackman explained.
In addition to shared services, members of both boards also discussed current issues and projects of interest.
The village, town and The College at Brockport are working together to obtain a planning grant which focuses on the Erie Canal waterfront, and which will help the village to put a comprehensive plan in place.
Also discussed was the possibility of the village and town revisiting a TAP grant application together which would help cover the cost of constructing sidewalks from State Street in the village, down Owens Road to Route 31.
Sweden council member Lori Skoog said the town is conducting a non-biased study in an attempt to bring median income in the town down and make Sweden eligible for grants that would facilitate bringing more public water to residents. The town faces many challenges in establishing water districts due to the cost for homeowners – which is estimated at $964/year for 30 years – a figure which includes grant funding – for residents in water districts, whether they decide to tap in or not. Without grant funding, the costs rise even more.
Zombie houses/foreclosed properties are also a problem for both the village and town and leaders decided to look into obtaining the services of a private company which ensures that abandoned properties are maintained, a process which often facilitates greater involvement by banks, local leaders said.
The possibility of sharing an economic development director was discussed. Council member Lori Skoog said such a person would help bring new businesses to the community. It was decided that leaders would look into producing a brochure which would encourage business development in the Brockport/Sweden community.
Other topics included shared recycling (Sweden no longer has a town recycling center) and shared community events. Current events include the Low Bridge High Water signature event each May in the village and the July 3 and July 4 celebrations which take place in the town and village.
Council member Lori Skoog discussed community competitions which are common in Italy, in which residents form teams and compete against each other. She says the events are fun and build community pride.
“It seems to me there are many things we can do together,” she said.
Leaders hope to meet again later this year.
