Williamsville Village Board taking a look at downsizing

[bornandraised]

Good job Jeffrey Kingsley for bringing this idea up. Lets take it a step further and merge Williamsvilles' board into Amherst. The mailing addresses can be kept as Williamsville, but all government can become part of the 'mother land' Amherst. I hope this idea of reducing the board moves forward, and is not 'poopooed' by self sustaining beuracrats.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregio...ry/301291.html

Williamsville Village Board taking a look at downsizing
By Sandra Tan NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 03/17/08 6:43 AM

Village of Williamsville trustees are looking into a resolution that would downsize the Board of Trustees by two members.

Trustee Jeffrey Kingsley sponsored the resolution, which was discussed by the board at its last meeting. It would allow residents to vote on a proposition to reduce the number of Village Board seats by two.

Mayor Mary Lowther said some trustees expressed reservations about the proposal and wondered whether it was legal for the board to place any proposition on the ballot. Items for public referendum are usually sparked by citizen petitions in Williamsville, she said.

Kingsley sponsored the resolution after the board heard from regionalism advocate Kevin Gaughan, who spoke to trustees at a January work session.

Gaughan is now roughly halfway through his campaign tour to get Erie County’s 45 local governments to each downsize their boards by two members. Since he began making his public presentations in November, he has met with a mix of reactions from elected officials, ranging from polite to hostile.

While several municipalities have subsequently had board members introduce resolutions to downsize their numbers, so far, only the seven-member Lancaster Village Board is actively moving forward with plans to cut its elected board seats.

Kingsley’s resolution would ask voters to decide no later than the July 2009 village election whether the Board of Trustees should reduce its numbers from five to three.

The resolution was tabled last Monday to give the village attorney time to research whether the resolution could legally be put forth by the board for referendum, Lowther said. The resolution will be discussed further at the board’s next meeting on March 24.

If the resolution were ultimately adopted by the board and passed by the public, Williamsville would become the only village in Erie County with a governing board of just three members.

stan@buffnews.com

[bornandraised]

Did I hear on the news yesterday that the Williamsville board did not 2nd the motion and therefore, this idea will not be put forth to the voters? How can a board do this as it sounds like a self-serving process i.e. I want to keep my job so I won't vote to put the idea in front of the public. Sounds illegal or something...