PAWLING – A last-ditch effort by Pawling residents to delay a vote to consolidate the Town and Village of Pawling has been denied by Supreme Court Justice Maria Rosa in a decision on November 24. Voters will decide the fate of the consolidation on Monday, November 30.
Glenn Carey served as a Trustee in the village and also served as mayor. This past week Carey sent a letter to all voters in the village encouraging them to vote against the consolidation. Part of the communication included said “The services that we rely on and many depend on – garbage pick-up, sidewalks, leaf pick-up, etc. will be in jeopardy if the Village consolidates with the Town. If consolidation is approved, districts will have to be established for the above-mentioned services and other various services and we will be assessed a special annual tax for each district that we are a part of. More importantly, while there may be a collective agreement between the Village and the Town on these services following the initial consolidation and districts established for them, at any point in time a future Town Board could decide to end any of these services and we would have very little ability to prevent it. Without a Village with our own government, we will no longer have a voice as Village residents.”
Former Dutchess County Legislator David Kelly also served as Pawling Town Supervisor and is also encouraging voters to vote against the consolidation. “If this passes, your town taxes will increase,” Kelly told voters in a release on Saturday.