דער רעפובליקאנער טשעירמאן פון די ארענדזש קאונטי לעגיסלאטור ווארנט די גוים אז זיי זאלן נישט זיין נאריש און נישט מאכן קיין ווילידזש ווייל ס'וועט זיי נאר קאסטן און נישט ברענגען קיין שום ריוח.
http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/03/08/myview08.htm
Creating a new village is not consolidating services
By A. Alan Seidman
I would like to respond to the "my view" in the Jan. 26 Record, by Brenda Koza. I have spoken with Mrs. Koza in the past and shared my thoughts with her. I ask each of you that have an interest in this matter to consider what was written and what was missing from Mrs. Koza's reasoning.
Mrs. Koza is pushing for creation of the Village of Salisbury Mills. The boundaries she proposes (her number is 38 square miles) would be the second largest village in New York state. In New York there are 554 villages and less than five are bigger than 10 square miles. In Orange County, the largest village is Goshen at 3.21 square miles. The boundaries proposed for this new village would include, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, 8902 residents and 3385 housing units.
Mrs. Koza says she supports consolidation. It is a bit difficult for me to understand how you take parts of three towns (Blooming Grove, New Windsor and Cornwall) and add a layer of government (the proposed Village of Salisbury Mills) and call that consolidation.
Any new village would have responsibility for police protection, roads, zoning, water, sewer, governing, taxation, and the list goes on. Mrs. Koza told me she would suggest contracting with the current towns to provide those services. Municipalities do not provide services to outside users at the same rate as internal users, if at all.
A village would need a mayor, trustees, a clerk, support staff and village offices. Mrs. Koza states if we don't form this village we will pay the price of many things, including excessive taxes. This is the most confusing statement of all, as everything she proposes costs money and will significantly raise our taxes over the course of the coming years.
The concerns raised by Mrs. Koza regard planning and zoning. I would urge Mrs. Koza, and other concerned citizens to volunteer for their local planning or zoning board. I was on the Cornwall Planning Board for about 10 years before getting elected to the county Legislature. It is a very educational experience as well as a good way to be involved in the direction that your municipality takes in coming years. Establishing another layer of government accomplishes nothing if the zoning and planning laws aren't good. It does add costs for consultants and development of those laws.
Mrs. Koza made a point of trying to convince me that she is not anti-Semitic, but that she in fact moved here from Rockland County and doesn't want to see happen in Orange County what happened in Rockland. Her article in fact, though, suggests scaring the public into thinking a village is going to correct all ills (i.e. "high rise apartments" in the shadow of the Moodna Viaduct). I would suggest she check zoning codes about each area of concern and work with her Town Board to correct any inconsistencies she finds, not tax us to create her vision.
As chairman of the County Legislature, I frequently hear concerns from seniors about their ability to be able to afford to stay in their house after retirement. Young people entering the work force have an increasingly difficult time being able to afford housing in Orange County.
Since my time on the Planning Board in Cornwall, I have witnessed what I call the new version of "protectionism." The most common are in the form of a moratorium (that some want to extend forever) and down-zoning (or increasing minimum lot size). Some seem to believe that while we are able to live on half-acre, one-acre or two-acre zoning, now that we have our house, let's make the minimum lot size 5 or 10 acres for future development. That'll keep the rascals out and make my property value go up like wildfire! All the upsizing and new regulations are punishing our families and farmers who have lived here for generations, paid their taxes and are trying to hold onto family properties.
If they see their ability to subdivide in the future eroding, they will speed up their subdivisions to take advantage of the current economy and protect themselves against down-zoning.
I was lucky enough to be born here because my parents were smart enough to move here in the 1940s. I do understand why Orange County is so desirable and people want to move here. Like most people who have lived here for a long time, we have accepted that change is inevitable. Change should be properly managed by our existing governments and their codes, not by adding another costly layer of government.
A. Alan Seidman is chairman of the Orange County Legislature.
By A. Alan Seidman
I would like to respond to the "my view" in the Jan. 26 Record, by Brenda Koza. I have spoken with Mrs. Koza in the past and shared my thoughts with her. I ask each of you that have an interest in this matter to consider what was written and what was missing from Mrs. Koza's reasoning.
Mrs. Koza is pushing for creation of the Village of Salisbury Mills. The boundaries she proposes (her number is 38 square miles) would be the second largest village in New York state. In New York there are 554 villages and less than five are bigger than 10 square miles. In Orange County, the largest village is Goshen at 3.21 square miles. The boundaries proposed for this new village would include, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, 8902 residents and 3385 housing units.
Mrs. Koza says she supports consolidation. It is a bit difficult for me to understand how you take parts of three towns (Blooming Grove, New Windsor and Cornwall) and add a layer of government (the proposed Village of Salisbury Mills) and call that consolidation.
Any new village would have responsibility for police protection, roads, zoning, water, sewer, governing, taxation, and the list goes on. Mrs. Koza told me she would suggest contracting with the current towns to provide those services. Municipalities do not provide services to outside users at the same rate as internal users, if at all.
A village would need a mayor, trustees, a clerk, support staff and village offices. Mrs. Koza states if we don't form this village we will pay the price of many things, including excessive taxes. This is the most confusing statement of all, as everything she proposes costs money and will significantly raise our taxes over the course of the coming years.
The concerns raised by Mrs. Koza regard planning and zoning. I would urge Mrs. Koza, and other concerned citizens to volunteer for their local planning or zoning board. I was on the Cornwall Planning Board for about 10 years before getting elected to the county Legislature. It is a very educational experience as well as a good way to be involved in the direction that your municipality takes in coming years. Establishing another layer of government accomplishes nothing if the zoning and planning laws aren't good. It does add costs for consultants and development of those laws.
Mrs. Koza made a point of trying to convince me that she is not anti-Semitic, but that she in fact moved here from Rockland County and doesn't want to see happen in Orange County what happened in Rockland. Her article in fact, though, suggests scaring the public into thinking a village is going to correct all ills (i.e. "high rise apartments" in the shadow of the Moodna Viaduct). I would suggest she check zoning codes about each area of concern and work with her Town Board to correct any inconsistencies she finds, not tax us to create her vision.
As chairman of the County Legislature, I frequently hear concerns from seniors about their ability to be able to afford to stay in their house after retirement. Young people entering the work force have an increasingly difficult time being able to afford housing in Orange County.
Since my time on the Planning Board in Cornwall, I have witnessed what I call the new version of "protectionism." The most common are in the form of a moratorium (that some want to extend forever) and down-zoning (or increasing minimum lot size). Some seem to believe that while we are able to live on half-acre, one-acre or two-acre zoning, now that we have our house, let's make the minimum lot size 5 or 10 acres for future development. That'll keep the rascals out and make my property value go up like wildfire! All the upsizing and new regulations are punishing our families and farmers who have lived here for generations, paid their taxes and are trying to hold onto family properties.
If they see their ability to subdivide in the future eroding, they will speed up their subdivisions to take advantage of the current economy and protect themselves against down-zoning.
I was lucky enough to be born here because my parents were smart enough to move here in the 1940s. I do understand why Orange County is so desirable and people want to move here. Like most people who have lived here for a long time, we have accepted that change is inevitable. Change should be properly managed by our existing governments and their codes, not by adding another costly layer of government.
A. Alan Seidman is chairman of the Orange County Legislature.
http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/03/08/myview08.htm