Citizens in Charge

Today the Buffalo News reported citizens in New York are taking charge of their government. The state has made it easier to bring issues to a vote.

The author of the bill, Attorney General Andrew Cuomos hopes the legislation will empower voters and create a more efficient local government.

The article states:

“Citizens will find it easier to bring petitions to merge or abolish local governments — from villages to fire districts to sewer agencies — under legislation that won final legislative approval Wednesday night in the State Senate.

Supporters say it is an effort to reduce property taxes levied by the more than 10,500 local government entities that flourish across New York.”

The process, while easier creates various check and balances:

“Enter the New York Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act. Its many provisions permit local government entities to be abolished more easily by their governing body or citizens.

The citizen empowerment begins with the number of petitions needed for a resident to put the question of dissolution of an entity on a ballot. Currently, 33 percent of a village’s residents, for example, are needed to put the measure on a ballot for a villagewide vote. If that number is collected, then a study is mounted, which could take a year or more, to look into the potential ramifications of the dissolution.

The bill lowers the number of resident signatures needed to 10 percent of a village’s registered voters, or 5,000 people, whichever is less. For entities with less than 500 people, 20 percent of signatures are needed.

If the dissolution measure passes, the locality must study the ramifications and then move forward with a dissolution plan.”

Read the rest of the article from Buffalo News