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April 12, 2009

Port Henry dissolution study awaits funding

Village will soon learn about necessary $50,000 state grant

By LOHR McKINSTRY

PORT HENRY — The Village of Port Henry's planned dissolution feasibility study is on hold until anticipated grant funding comes through.

Port Henry Village Trustee James Hughes said the village will learn sometime later this month whether it qualifies for a $50,000 planning grant from the Division of Local Government Services of the State Department of State.

PROPOSALS SOUGHT
"We have applied for a high-priority planning grant to perform a dissolution study," Hughes said. "In anticipation of receiving this award and in conjunction with this effort, the Village of Port Henry released requests for proposals soliciting responses from consulting firms who could assist us with this study."

No one responded the first time, he said, so they'll issue another request.

"The Department of State informed me our application successfully made it through their review process, and it is now at Division of Budget for final review. We anticipate an award announcement the week of April 20."

The study will begin once the successful firm is selected following a June 8 bid opening, he said.

"We have received a verbal response from at least one consulting firm who intends to respond to our solicitation."

STUDY GOALS
Hughes said objectives for the study will include:

•  An outline of the fiscal and non-fiscal advantages and disadvantages of dissolution.

•  Identification of how village services will be continued should the village government be dissolved.

•  Establishment of an orderly process for the disposition of village assets and liabilities if village government is dissolved.

A majority vote of village residents in favor of dissolution would be required before the village was disbanded.

At the time dissolution petitions were presented early last year, organizers said the State Department of State could do a study. But state representatives said they only funded such studies and that the village would have to hire its own consultant.

The Village of Speculator in Hamilton County spent $35,000 to hire the Center for Government Research of Rochester to prepare a dissolution report. The Speculator dissolution vote failed in March 2008, 132 to 46.

The study showed village taxpayers would save $600 a year in taxes, but town taxes would go up by $300 a year.

Petitions to force a vote on dissolving Port Henry were invalidated in 2004 and 2008 because they lacked the required number of valid signatures.

Hughes said they want to conduct an independent feasibility study to reveal whether there would be a financial benefit to village taxpayers from dissolving the village or sharing services with the Town of Moriah.

SHARED BUILDING
On the topic of sharing services, Moriah Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava said he and Port Henry Fire Chief George Daly believe federal grant money may be available to construct a joint town-village public safety building.

The new building would house the Moriah Town Justice Court, Port Henry Fire Department, Moriah Town Police Department and Moriah Ambulance Squad.

The town has been told by the State Office of Court Administration to build a new town courthouse because the old one is too small for modern needs, but Scozzafava said they can't afford the $400,000 cost without grants.

The village is trying to replace the deteriorating former garage its Fire Department is now housed in but also can't afford the expense of a new structure.

The next step would be to locate a site, then submit a joint application for funding, he said.

E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com

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