Let People Decide
Downsize Unofficial Vote Results
1052 YES
1020 NO
Over 800 Alden town residents signed a petition to have the town board hold a referendum for downsizing. When this petition was presented it was to allow the town board to hold the vote on Primary election day. Supervisor Smith said he had received a e-mail from the Erie County Board of Elections indicating that the vote could not be done on Primary day (his statement can be viewed on town board meeting video 8/3). Freedom Of Information (Foil) request for this e-mail was responded with there is no such e-mail. Upon further investigation, the New York Board of Elections has confirmed to us that special elections can happen on Primary day and did elsewhere in NY this past Primary. 
This town board decision has COST ($35,000) the taxpayer unnecessary money and the town board has reduced the voting locations and hours to restrict your right to exercise your vote. This indicates a lack of RESPECT from the five town board members for the over 800 town citizens that want to have this voted on.
Three member boards are under more public scrutiny and less probable to have a corrupt member.
It has been said we don't want to have three men in a room like Albany. Well the three men in Albany do not constitute a quorum and can legally do business behind closed doors. This is sad. Currently the Open Meetings Law is the most violated law with five member boards. Back room deals are made today. Open Meeting Laws would be strengthened with three member town boards. Now all town business would have to be spoken in pubic at a properly announced and convened meeting with a quorum of two members on the town board present. The election process is how to insure that corrupt members do not stay on a town board. Five member town boards have a greater chance in that a corrupt member is present.
Who's going to pick up the work of two DOWNSIZED town board members? The town has two years after downsizing occurs to start citizen committees to perform the work that all of the town board members do. Interested citizens would work for free as they do in many other roles in the community. This would allow more input by citizens. The politicians don't want to give up the work as it puts their job in jeopardy. Shame on the Town Board threatening to hire people to do the work. There
are town boards in the US that work for FREE.
We would not save that much money they argue. Each years savings wound be $41,000 or so. Five years savings would be $205,000. Ten years savings would be $410,000. It adds up and this does not include adjustments for inflation increases or legacy costs of past town board member benefits.
We have done such a good job keeping taxes stable. They should have been reducing taxes with the large increases they have collected in fees and taxes. But they found a way to spend them and not pass the savings on to the citizen. From NYS Controllers web site.
Taxes and fee revenue - UP 53% 1997-2007
Permits - UP 76% 1997-2007
Employees benefit cost - UP 126% 1997-2007
Supervisor budget cost - UP 43% 199-2009
Lax handling of our tax monies by officials. Example: Alden paid $9,000 for two separate bid specifications to determine the requirements of a backup generator for the Town Hall to purchase. The town gave themselves cell phones, and then took them away, calling it savings.
Do we need to reform government? YES! We can not start at the top. But if
we don't start it will not happen and we will continue to die here in
Western New York
About Government Downsizing
Purpose
To let Western New York residents decide if they want to reduce the size and cost of local government.
Why
For two reasons:
First, our dying economy. We're all too familiar with our dire straits:
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Erie County has lost 247,000 residents since 1970
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44,000 private sector jobs have vanished since 1990
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30% of people between 18 and 34 have left since 1996
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Buffalo is the 3rd most impoverished city in America
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Erie County residents pay the 5th highest property taxes in the nation
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We are the only community in America whose local government failures require two outside control boards
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We're listed among "America's 10 Fastest Dying Communities"
Sadly, each of these facts existed before our national economy plunged into recession.
And the second reason to downsize government is to increase citizens' participation and voice in their community.
I've attended 221 town and village board meetings during the past 2 years. And in every one of them, citizens are told to sit down and remain silent. In other words, our local board meetings have evolved into lectures when they should be conversations.
By reducing the number of politicians, we will return public meetings to their original intended purpose: private citizens and public servants working together to solve problems.
How
I discovered a little-know law that permits citizens to distribute petitions calling for downsizing. We employ this law by distributing petitions throughout neighborhoods and communities, and obtaining a sufficient number of signatures.
This is where you come in. If you'd like to lend a hand in exchange for less taxes and more voice, kindly click on Become A Petition Carrier and join our cause. We'll provide you with all the material you'll need to not only make a difference, but as well to make it better.
Local Government Today
With 25 towns, 16 villages, and 3 cities, Erie County has 439 elected officials - more than 10 times the number of politicians in any like-sized community in America. The cost of sustaining these 439 public servants exceeds $32 million per year. That means that over the last decade, while the rest of America grew at historic levels and we fell even more behind, we paid our politicians $320,000,000 - more than a quarter of a billion dollars.
To address this challenge, and to align local government with other local institutions that have adapted to our shrinking population - hospitals, places of worship, libraries, and businesses - I proposed that each of our 25 town boards eliminate 2 members, and all of our 16 village governments merge into their surrounding town. I also proposed that the Erie County legislature reduce from 15 to 9 members.
Tonawanda, Depew, and Lancaster have downsized. The Village of North Collins agreed to merge into its surrounding town. So far, 5 Erie County legislators have agreed to my downsizing plan.
But the rest of our politicians and governments refused my request to let people decide. As a result, we must now exercise our rights.
Local Government Tomorrow
When we succeed, we will all still have our own local government. But we will have reduced the number of elected officials in Erie County from 439 to 309, saved taxpayers $9.6 million per year, and perhaps most important, loosened the gridlock and lowered the decibel level caused by our public servants' bickering among themselves.
When I think of how great our community is - in spite of local government failing us - I can't help but think of how much greater we could be.
This effort is a first step toward the better future that every Western New Yorker yearns for, and every Western New Yorker deserves.
Kevin Gaughan
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Below shows the cost of government in the Town & Village of Alden with 8,500 residents(not including prison and EC home). Total cost for elected officials $552,247 per year
Town Population (2005): 10,465 (Prison and EC Home included) |
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Number of Elected Officials: 10 |
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Ratio of Citizens to Legislators: 2,093 / 1 |
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If Buffalo had the same ratio, there would be 134 Common Council members |
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Town Elected Officials: Available benefits |
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Salary 2009 |
Health Care Benefits 2008 |
Pension Contribution |
Total Cost of Elected Official |
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Supervisor |
$22,864 |
$8,955 |
$1,806 |
$33,625 |
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Councilmember |
$10,707 |
$8,955 |
$845 |
$20,507 |
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Councilmember |
$10,707 |
$8,955 |
$845 |
$20,507 |
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Councilmember |
$10,707 |
$8,955 |
$845 |
$20,507 |
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Councilmember |
$10,707 |
$8,955 |
$845 |
$20,507 |
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Town Clerk |
$46,100 |
$2,389 |
$3,641 |
$52,130 |
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Hwy Superintendent |
$54,660 |
$3,661 |
$4,318 |
$62,639 |
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Receiver of Taxes |
$28,105 |
$8,955 |
$2,220 |
$39,280 |
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Town Justice |
$26,131 |
$0 |
$2,064 |
$28,195 |
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Town Justice |
$26,131 |
$0 |
$2,064 |
$28,195 |
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Total: |
$246,819 |
$59,780 |
$19,493 |
$326,092 |
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Staff: |
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Salary 2009 |
Health Care Benefits 2008 |
Pension Contribution |
Total Cost of Staff Member |
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Town Clerk |
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Deputy |
$24,614 |
$0 |
$1,944 |
$26,558 |
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Court: |
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Clerk |
$27,329 |
$8,955 |
$2,159 |
$36,443 |
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Clerk |
$15,900 |
$0 |
$1,256 |
$17,156 |
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Total: |
$67,843 |
$8,955 |
$5,359 |
$82,157 |
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TOTAL: |
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$408,249 |
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| Village Population (2005): 2,666 | |||||
| Elected Officials: 7 | |||||
| Ratio of Citizens to Legislators: 533 / 1 | |||||
| If Buffalo had the same ratio, there would be 525 Common Council members. | |||||
| Village Elected Officials: | |||||
| Salary | Health Care Benefits | Pension Contribution | Total Cost of Elected Official | ||
| Mayor | $7,000 | $0 | $735 | $7,735 | |
| Trustee | $4,500 | $0 | $473 | $4,973 | |
| Trustee | $4,500 | $0 | $473 | $4,973 | |
| Trustee | $4,500 | $0 | $473 | $4,973 | |
| Trustee | $4,500 | $0 | $0 | $4,500 | |
| Village Justice | $8,500 | $0 | $0 | $8,500 | |
| Acting Justice | $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $2,000 | |
| Total: | $35,500 | $0 | $2,153 | $37,653 | |
| Staff: | |||||
| Salary | Health Care Benefits | Pension Contribution | Total Cost of Staff Member | ||
| Village Clerk | $34,524 | $8,000 | $3,521 | $46,045 | |
| Admin./Treasurer | $54,719 | $0 | $5,581 | $60,300 | |
| Total: | $89,243 | $8,000 | $9,103 | $106,346 | |
| TOTAL: | $143,998 | ||||
West Seneca & Evans citizens voted to downsize there respective Town Boards on June 3, 2009.
Kevin Gaughan has been to all the Towns and Villages in Erie county to present facts he has researched on the cost and size of local government. More information on his presentation can be viewed at http://www.letpeopledecide.org/
Kevin has kindly asked these towns and villages to downsize the boards to save taxpayers monies. In West Seneca and Evans the citizens petitioned the boards to have a referendum vote after the local officials rejected the down size request.
