Frequently Asked Questions
The study team will add to and/ or update the FAQs, as appropriate, during the course of the study.
Q1. Why craft a new city charter now?
Q2. When will a vote on the new city charter take place?
Q3. Are there other recent examples where a city and town in New York have consolidated?
Q4. What will happen to my services?
Q5. What are the major steps in the city charter creation process?
Q6. Who is on the study team?
Q7. How will we know if there is something new the Task Force can tell the community?
Q8. How can I raise a question or make a comment for the study team to consider?
Q9. Who will vote on the new city charter?
Q10: Who would lead a combined entity? Who decides?
Q11. May I attend Task Force meetings?
Q1. Why craft a new city charter now?
A1. In July of 2009, the City and Town of Batavia received a report from a consolidation study committee that recommended the two governmental units be consolidated into one new city. At the time, the City was already in the middle of a charter revision process. Neither government was ready to jump into developing a new city charter, although both expressed a willingness to let the citizens decide at some point. In late 2010, the City and Town jointly applied for and received a new grant from the NYS Local Government Efficiency program. The receipt of the grant in early 2011 renewed the momentum to craft a new city charter and bring the consolidation decision to the citizens of Batavia.
Q2. When will a vote on the new city charter take place?
A2. The vote on the referendum to adopt a new city charter is anticipated to take place during the November 2012 general election. It is not an official date yet as the New York State Legislature must approve our Home Rule request to hold a referendum on the new city charter. Once the date is finalized, we will let the community know.
Q3. Are there other recent examples where a city and town in New York have consolidated?
A3. No. If the City and Town of Batavia merge into one new city, it will be the first of its kind in New York State. The last city to be incorporated in New York State was the City of Rye in 1942 and it did not involve a consolidation.
Q4. What will happen to my services?
A4. The question of what will happen to services was answered extensively during the first study process in 2008-09. Please reference the previous reports and background material on the previous website.
Q5. What are the major steps in the city charter creation process?
A5. Creation of a city charter is defined in several sections of State Law. However, since this process involves consolidating two entities, one being the current city, this process is unique from any currently defined process. As the Task Force learns more throughout the process, we will post information to this website.
In overarching terms, the major steps involve crafting a new city charter that encompasses the boundary of the current city and town of Batavia. The next major step is petitioning the New York State Legislature to approve a Home Rule request to put the new city charter to public referendum. There will be milestones that are important along the way, and as we learn more, we will fill in the details.
Q6. Who is on the study team?
A6. The study team consists of a cross-section of ten community leaders and residents (eight voting and two alternates), appointed by the City Council of the City of Batavia and the Town Board of the Town of Batavia. Technical support to the committee is provided by the Center for Governmental Research (CGR). To see a profile of members produced in The Daily News, click here.
Q7. How will we know if there is something new the Task Force can tell the community?
A7. Check this website periodically for updates. When there is a major addition to the site, we'll send an email alert. Sign-up for email alerts if you would like to receive them.
Q8. How can I raise a question or make a comment for the study team to consider?
A8. To email the study team, click here. If you have problems using the email form, please send an email directly to Scott Sittig (ssittig@cgr.org).
Q9. Who will vote on the new city charter?
A9. Registered voters in the City and Town of Batavia will all vote on the new city charter. The City and Town will each have to approve the new city charter separately in order for it to become law. If either Town or City voters reject the city charter, the referendum will not pass.
Q10. Who would lead a combined entity? Who decides?
A10: The Task Force has been charged with developing a new city charter. This is based on the recommendation of the study committee from 2009 and affirmation of that recommendation by the joint creation of the Task Force by the Town and City. If a new city charter is adopted, the Town of Batavia would no longer exist and there would be one city government over the whole area encompassing both the current city and town. The structure of that government will be defined by the city charter, which is the work that will be done by the Task Force during this process. The public will be offered several opportunities throughout the process to see the proposed city charter prior to voting on it.
Q11. May I attend Task Force meetings?
A11. There will be opportunities to attend Task Force meetings during this process. As those meeting dates become available, we will post them online and will advertise them to the public. Please stay tuned to this website and other local media outlets as the Task Force wants to encourage public participation throughout this process.
