Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Can Saranac Lake and Harrietstown Share Services?

Local residents of Saranac Lake and the Town of Harrietstown have been asking for the sharing of municipal services for a long time. Many residents want to dissolve the Village of Saranac Lake altogether and let the Town of Harrietstown provide municipal services. But will shared services ever become a reality? An article in todays Adirondack Daily Enterprise makes it appear shared municipal services are not just around the corner. At least the possibility of a sand/salt storage shed shared between the Village and the Town seems unlikely at the moment.

Village Manager DePuy is quoted as saying: "stupid idea". Village Trustee John McEneany doesn't want to share a $175,000 state grant with the town. McEneany also said: “All the department heads are against it, and we aren’t listening to them,” he said. “The decision where to put the sand shed was not agreed on by everybody.”

I have no idea if the potential agreement between the Village and the Town is fair or not because I havn't seen it. But it sure seems that some attitudes need to change in some manner if shared services (and tax savings) is ever going to become a reality.

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