Mayor Blais issues statement regarding the Village Dissolution vote

The Village of Lake George issued a press release Tuesday morning, August 16, titled “Presented to the Board 8-15-22.” The following statement by Lake George Village Mayor Robert Blais, which we are publishing here in its entirety, pertains to the referendum scheduled for September 13, 12-9 p.m. at the Town Administration Building, 20 Old Post Road, Lake George. Village residents will be voting on whether or not they wish to dissolve the Village. More information about the Dissolution Study and the referendum may be found on the study website.

Statement by Village of Lake George Mayor Robert Blais:

The State’s Incentive Program to eliminate layers of government and provide efficiencies was originally designed to assist communities struggling with a stable tax base, insufficient funds to provide necessary services, difficulty staffing appointed and elected positions and duplicating services that existed in neighboring communities.

None of the above is the case in the Town and Village of Lake George. The study indicates on page 16 “The Village and Town of Lake George already share significant services and already have a strong well-functioning division of labor.” Later, on page 57, the study states, “The Village has a very healthy fund balance, a number of Reserves and owns a significant amount of property and equipment.”

 Now, voters are being asked to consider the dissolution of a 120-year-old, well-functioning village in only 90 short days: actually only 30 days after receipt of a draft report!

 A petition circulated by three Town employees without the knowledge of Town Officials has forced a vote within 90 days. The busiest 90 days of our year, creating a vote held the week after our large car show and a time of year that our largest taxpayers have little or no time to consider such an important question. Two of our public hearings must be held during the Adirondack Nationals Car Show!            

 Dissolution of a village with a budget of over $6,000,000 that offers the variety of services that we do, not only to Town taxpayers outside, but for millions of tourists annually is extremely complicated. The vote itself creates divisiveness among the community, pits neighbor against neighbor, creates rumors, assumptions and due to the short time period, much fear in the average homeowner content with the status quo.

 All this aside, the study predicts a savings for our Village taxpayers in the range of 27-33%. This savings, following Dissolution, comes from funds our successful government has generated over many years. But remember nothing is guaranteed to the Village taxpayers after Dissolution. Nothing! What is certain is that many years of unparalleled cooperation between the Town and Village will end. Shared Services that have saved taxpayers far in excess of $400,000 annually will go away. Loyal employees will be affected, job duties changed and a decrease in service is possible. Village taxpayers’ ownership solely of a Fire Department, four parks, the sewer plant, water system, Visitor Center, will all go to the Town.

As Mayor of this great village for 52 years I am obviously emotional about any Dissolution but sincerely want what is best for the future of this community and its taxpayers. Therefore, I am recommending to the Village Board, a creative, sensible, and practical solution to consider in place of the complexity and unforeseen circumstances of Dissolution. An investment that will lower Village taxes now and continue the excellent sharing of services that exist between the Town and Village.

I am seeking a resolution guaranteeing the Village Board will transfer up $3,000,000 from a parking meter savings account into our next year’s budget to reduce taxes by as much as 35%. The funds were put aside only two years ago to cover unexpected costs associated with our construction of the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Our grants exceeded expectation by over $5.4M, the plant has been completed on budget and we have covered the additional maintenance in our 2022-2023 budget.

The Village has not raised taxes in ten years. Our present tax rate of $5.79 is .25 less than in 2013. This part of our outstanding debt will lower the rate to $3.85; an 33.5% decrease Our Parking Meter Revenues continue to exceed our expectations and we should be able to hold our rate stable for many years to come. All of these funds would be lost in Dissolution across the entire Town. The resolution will also include asking the Village Board to support, subject to the approval of the Town, a detailed study of Consolidation and Annexation. A study that may save both Village and Town taxpayers funds and one in which both Town and Village voters not only have an opportunity to vote, but have a reasonable amount of time to consider, research and gather facts to make an intelligent decision.