Meeting will kick off Keeseville dissolution study

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February 20, 2012

Anonymous Press-Republican The Press Republican Mon Feb 20, 2012, 02:28 AM EST

KEESEVILLE — The Village of Keeseville is starting a nine-month study to better understand the potential impacts, costs and benefits associated with dissolution of the village government.

In 2011, the village received a grant through the New York State Department of State's Local Government Efficiency Program. A Dissolution Study Committee was appointed to lead the study, which will also affect residents in the towns of AuSable and Chesterfield.

The village recently selected two firms — Rondout Consulting of Kingston and Fairweather Consulting of New Paltz — to provide technical assistance to the Dissolution Study Committee.

Over the next several months, the committee and its consultants will develop a plan for the Village of Keeseville.

To answer questions about the study and begin gathering input from local residents, the committee is holding a public kickoff meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the Village Hall, 58 Liberty St., Keeseville. Elected officials and the consultants are urging people to attend this first of several public meetings regarding the dissolution study.

In order to provide voters with the information they need to make a decision, state law also describes what should be included in the dissolution study and plan.

"We will be looking at the services the village provides to determine the best way to handle those services in the event the village is dissolved," Chesterfield Town Supervisor Jerry Morrow, a member of the committee, said in a news release.

"With our consultants' help, we'll develop a plan that explains to residents what would happen to the services they receive now and how dissolution would affect the total taxes and fees they pay for those services." AuSable Town Supervisor Sandy Senecal, another member of the committee, notes that "the committee is also prepared to look not just at the impact on village residents but also how a dissolution would affect residents in the towns of AuSable and Chesterfield outside of Keeseville."

Committee members hope to engage the participation of residents of the village and the towns.

"It's important to involve them from the start of this process," Keeseville Mayor Meegan Rock, also a committee member, said in a statement.

"The dissolution study process can be confusing, so we want to take the time right from the start to explain how this works and how residents can stay involved as the study unfolds over the next several months." One of the project consultants, Tim Weidemann, said the kickoff meeting is designed to dispel myths about the study process and encourage public involvement.

"Even though we're just getting started, this is a critical point in the study. Some residents may be skeptical or concerned about this project, and there is often a lot of confusion about a study like this.

"By providing an early opportunity for residents to ask questions and provide input, we hope we can develop a study that really speaks to those concerns, answers those important questions and provides some clarity about the dissolution study process and its impacts," he said.

Several other public meetings will be held throughout the project.

More information is available through the website http://keeseville.ning.com.