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Painted Post Dissolution Vote

Updated Thursday, January 17, 2013

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For months now the battle over weather or not the Village of Painted Post should dissolve into the Town of Erwin has been going on.

January 17, 2013
Painted Post (WENY) - For months now the battle over weather or not the Village of Painted Post should dissolve into the Town of Erwin has been going on. Neighbors are torn, some believing the dissolution will secure the village financially, others believe the town will lose it's its identity and control over its own destiny. The mayor of Painted Post Roswell Crozier sent out a press release stating that he now believes dissolution would be "irresponsible and a disservice to village residents."
    In 2011, a Painted Post study concluded village residents would save 44 percent on their taxes if it decided to dissolve into the Town of Erwin. Opponents of the dissolution claim the study is untrue because it uses data from 2010, and does not include the recent increase in town revenue from the sale of its water to unnamed gas companies. Phyllis Draper is in favor of the dissolution and part of the group "Painted Post Tax Relief" She says not only will residents save money on their taxes, but they will also keep the same services, and the water revenues will stay the same.
      “The dissolution is only going to change the level of government,” says Draper. “The town is a much larger area with potential growth, they've had significant growth in the past. The village has not had any opportunity for growth. We're land locked we don't have the ability to draw in business to increase our tax base.”
     The referendum on the dissolution plan is set for January 24th.