Please peruse the below links/files that will provide more information on the Town-Village Consolidation conversation.
Mar-2026 What is Consolidation?
Mar-2026 Consolidation Local Taxes and the CETC – COMING SOON
Mar-2026 Consolidation Fire Protection
Mar-2026 Consolidation Timeline
Feb-2026 Resolution identifying primary board contacts
Feb-2026 Resolution to explore board-initiated consolidation
Jan-2026 Resolution Town-wide residents to vote on whether to consolidate
2025 Village of New Paltz Draft Proposed Dissolution Plan
2024 Draft Proposal for New Paltz
2013 Final Report and Recommendations
2012 Resolution Creating the Joint Committee
2012 Recommendations of Steering Committee
May 12, 2025 Statement:
For the last few months, the Village has worked with the Laberge Group on New Paltz Government Reorganization Planning. We received a NYS Citizen Reorganization Grant (CREG) to fund the plan.
We are pleased to announce we have completed the “Study Document” stage. Initially, we focused on creating a “Dissolution” of the Village plan per NYS General Municipal Law Article 17-A in order to:
–Integrate Town and Village services to more prudently serve our community
–Harness $1 million per annum in perpetuity via the NYS Citizen Empowerment Tax Credit (CETC) to help taxpayers
At this point, after research and community outreach, we believe the best fit for our community and those employed by the Town and Village will be “Consolidation,” rather than “Dissolution.”
We propose using the “Study Document” to inform the creation of a joint- Village Board and Town Board “Consolidation” agreement. Three important advantages of “Consolidation” include:
1) a “Consolidation” agreement may include a legally-binding collective bargaining solution, prior to referendum, involving both unions who currently represent the Town and Village staff. (Employee protection and continuity of services should be airtight.)
2) a referendum on whether to pursue “Consolidation” would involve all Town voters, whereas Article 17-A only allows Village voters to participate in a “Dissolution” referendum.
3) a November 4, 2025 “Dissolution” referendum limits time to engage voters (NYS requires that County BOE officials have at least three months before an election to include referendum details. This would require plan endorsement, adoption, and public hearings all being done by the end of this July.)
Taking the next several months, through this fall and into 2026, to include “Consolidation” agreement details and additional community engagement will be time and effort well spent. We could work towards holding a “Consolidation” special election in 2026.