Merger talks popping up across Monroe County
Talks about mergers popping up across Monroe.
Like no time in recent memory, responsible public leaders and concerned citizens across Monroe County are starting to seriously weigh the merit of government consolidation.
It’s taken the worst fiscal crisis in 40-plus years to force taxpayers and government leaders out of their comfort zones. But so be it.
What matters most is that reasonable people are finally recognizing the value of redesigning standard operating procedures for both short-term and long-term gains.
And as the newly announced partnership between Aquinas Institute and Nazareth Academy shows, that kind of thinking isn’t limited to government.
But there is no getting around the fact that government is where some of the greatest opportunities for mergers and consolidations exist. It simply doesn’t make sense to insist on the status quo when there is an obvious need to conduct business differently. A shrinking population and revenue base should have prompted government leaders to start reassessing years ago.
Anyway, hopeful signs are popping up all over. In Irondequoit, for instance, a community activist is organizing an effort to study the elimination of the town’s police department and the merger of the East and West Irondequoit school districts. He’s also calling for merger of the town’s five fire districts.
At the state level, hearings were held Thursday in Westchester County on a decade-old state plan to consolidate local courts.
For sure, efforts to consolidate will make a lot of people nervous. Particularly those whose jobs might be at risk. Just look at the acrimony surrounding the proposed merger of City Hall and the Rochester School District.
But discomfort doesn’t justify squelching these vital public discussions. They are overdue. Find out what works best for taxpayers.
