Edwards, Waddington explore idea of dissolving

WADDINGTON — Two St. Lawrence County governmental units may cease to exist one of these days.

The villages of Edwards and Waddington recently were awarded grant money from Gov. David A. Paterson's office to do dissolution studies. Villages may be disincorporated by popular vote; that may happen if the studies find that taxpayers could save money without them.

"There's a lot that would have to be talked about and looked into," said Jan C. Lennox, mayor of Edwards. "In these small towns and villages, it makes people wonder if we really need two governments."

If the studies find that it would be cheaper to taxpayers if the village no longer existed as a legal entity, a referendum could be called or petitioned for. The ultimate decision would belong to the voters.

"The facts would be presented to the residents and they would make the decision," Waddington Mayor Janet M. Otto-Cassada said. "It wouldn't be up to me."

In both villages, dissolution is an idea that has been kicked around for several years. Cutting the cost of government has been a priority for Gov. Paterson's administration and both villages decided the time was ripe to do the studies.

Services that the villages provide would be incorporated into the town's duties. Already the towns and villages share space and code enforcement officers, as well as frequently working together on projects and initiatives.

"A lot of the residents said 'Why not just do the study to put the issue to rest once and for all?' " Ms. Otto-Cassada said. "Is it going to save money, isn't it going to save money?"

Edwards, which has fewer than 500 residents, was awarded $45,000 for the study. Waddington has about 1,000 residents and received $25,000.

In both villages, there are people who do not favor dissolution. In Waddington, Trustee William L. Shoen has said he will walk from door to door in the village to keep it as its own entity.

"There's still a segment of society that like that the village governs itself and the town governs itself," Mr. Lennox said. "If you can show them in black and white that you can save money, that'll be the deciding factor."

The state Local Government Efficiency Grant Program also awarded St. Lawrence County a $26,000 grant to study whether shared highway services are feasible in Canton. The study will include the town, village, school district, St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton.

Highway Superintendent William E. Dashnaw said the Legislature will be asked to hire Barton & Loguidice, Syracuse, to conduct the study, which will examine whether a fuel depot, salt and sand storage facility, and maintenance garage can be shared among the six entities.

The village of Gouverneur has received a $24,750 state grant to study sharing services with the town.

"It's to hire someone to come and see how we can consolidate services," Mayor Dorothy L. Vorce said. "I think it's great we got the money and great we can see if we can save some money."

The application for the Local Government Efficiency grant grew out of discussions within a shared services committee of the town and village.

"We're going to go through the two municipalities and see how we can consolidate services, if any. It's not for dissolution," Mrs. Vorce said. "It all depends on what they suggest. It's a first step to see if we can save taxpayers some money."

Both the village and the town have water and sewer systems and highway crews.

Times staff writers Elizabeth Graham and Martha Ellen contributed to this report.