Should the Hamburg Town Board downsize?

[HamburgVoter]

As you are probably aware, the West Seneca Town Board is facing a petition drive to downsize. It will get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in the fall.

Is it Hamburg's turn next?

[HamburgVoter]

Town Boards were originally set up to have only 3 members. Over time, they grew to five, seven or even nine members. How many is too many, or too few?

Most elected members will say they there is too much to do for any Board to downsize but is what they do individually actually necessary. Most board members are set up as liaisons to various Town Boards and/or Committees but are these necessary?

What is the real job of a Town Councilperson, to set policy & procedure or to try and be everywhere? Has the job grown to, as some people suggest, to justify its own existence or is essential in its current format?

Can we do more with less? Do less with more? Should anything change?

[WNYresident]

I think 5 would be cool for any town unless the population was really way up there.. Even more than the city of Buffalo.

[MarkLV]

Obviously it requires an odd number. But three doesnt sound like enough, and 7 seems a bit too many. So 5 it is.

What does the money savings to Amherst look like if they eliminate 2 board members?

[HamburgVoter]

Why doesn't 3 sound like enough? What do Board Members do that requires 5 members instead of 3?

[MarkLV]

Why doesn't 3 sound like enough? What do Board Members do that requires 5 members instead of 3?

In an average sized town with a large population, you need enough board members who are able to represent the number of citizens on all of the issues.

Granted, a hamlet or village the size of, say, North Collins or Farnham, might not require that many board members. But apply it to a town the size of, say, Hamburg or West Seneca, and its obvious that 3 wont suffice when you consider all the different entities present. Plus, looking at the possibility of the swing vote being unfair with just three votes at 33% each, with a sustaining vote by a supervisor, it doesnt leave enough margin for error (err...favoritism).

[Rocksimm]

[QUOTE=HamburgVoter]Why doesn't 3 sound like enough? What do Board Members do that requires 5 members instead of 3?[/QUOTE

Three Board members is not enough. It gives the executive branch (in this case the town supervisor) way too much power. Just take a look at minutes from town board meetings from around the county to see how often a town baord member abstains from votes because of some time of conflict of interest. In small town government this is not unusual at all because it is jsut a fact of life that board members will have had personal relationships and/or dealings with many of their constituents.

If the goal is to reduce the cost of government, why isn't there referendum drives to eliminate fully paid health care for part time elected officials? Many of these part-time elected officials already receive health benefits from their primary employers and end up receiving buy-outs anyhow. This approach would end up saving more taxpayer monies than eliminating our representatives, and has the advantage of not degrading democracy.

Just seems to me that the Kevin Gaughn approach throws the baby out with the bath water in order to save a few dollars, when there are far better ways to go about this.