The possibility of combining Saugerties’ town and village governments drew cautious interest at a packed forum on Monday, July 13, as local officials and residents raised questions about taxes, services, and whether village residents would lose political influence.
ShoutOut Saugerties, a volunteer-run community group, hosted the discussion at the Orpheum Theatre. The event focused on consolidation, a form of government reorganization that would replace the town and village governments with a single local government.
Saugerties Mayor Bill Murphy and Town Supervisor Fred Costello expressed openness to the idea while raising concerns about its potential consequences. Murphy questioned how the community would preserve the village’s character and the level of service its residents expect. Costello asked whether consolidation could raise taxes for residents outside the village.
“We do a ton of shared services already,” Murphy said.
The two municipalities already cooperate on services including water and policing. Murphy said many residents don’t realize how much money those arrangements save.
Neither government is formally studying consolidation. Any formal proposal would require voter approval in both municipalities. Monday’s forum was the first of at least two discussions ShoutOut Saugerties plans to host on the subject. A date for the next meeting has not been set.
Some village residents questioned whether their concerns would carry less weight under a combined government. The village had 3,899 residents in the 2020 census, about 20% of the town’s total population of 19,038. Without a separate village government, those residents would rely on a consolidated governing board to address village-specific matters.
“Will our voice be more powerful or will we be diminished?” asked Lisa Fitzner, a village resident.
New Paltz Town Supervisor Tim Rogers, a former village mayor who is helping lead a similar consolidation effort in New Paltz, was the forum’s featured speaker. He acknowledged that village residents would have fewer elected officials under one government, but said reducing their number could make responsibility clearer.
“When it’s clear who the elected officials are, then the community can hold them more accountable,” Rogers said. “In New Paltz, I don’t think people understand the difference between the town and village.”
Costello said he doesn’t distinguish between residents inside and outside the village because village residents are also town residents. Under one government, he said, residents would bring concerns to town officials, as they already do for property assessments and police services.
A consolidated Saugerties government would also be eligible for the state’s Citizen Empowerment Tax Credit, which provides annual aid equal to 15% of the combined amount of real property taxes levied by the two municipalities, up to $1 million. At least 70% of the aid must be used for property tax relief, and the remainder may be used for general municipal purposes, said Amy Ferguson, a local government specialist with the New York State Department of State who also spoke at the forum.
The financial incentive makes consolidation worth considering, Rogers said. Questions about how services would be distributed or how the village’s character would be preserved could be addressed through local laws, he said.
“People will ask questions, ‘What about this, what about that?’” Rogers said. “Those are fantastic, really important questions that have nothing to do with whether or not we consolidate.”
Consolidation could also reduce bureaucracy and make local government easier to navigate, Rogers said. Municipal employees spend too much time determining whether the town or village is responsible for a service, time that could instead be spent delivering it, he said.
Kyle Bredberg is an intern and contributing reporter. You can reach him at kyle@theoverlooknews.com.
