About the study
A little history of the Village. The Village which as a total land area of 1.0 square miles is located in the south-central part of the Town of Perrysburg. The Village is west of Gowanda, New York. As per the census of 2000, there were 408 people residing in the village. This had declined to 380 by the Census of 2008. The median household income for residents of the Village of Perrysburg is $37,045. The Town of Perrysburg has a population of 1645 citizens residing on 28.5 square miles of land. The median household income for Town residents is 37,212.
The Village was first settled in 1818. It was incorporated in 1916, the Village has had a consistent population of approximately 400. However, since the closing of the J. N. Adam Developmental Center the village has been affected by the loss of most of it's private businesses.
The Village of Perrysburg has a history of its citizens longing to explore whether dissolution would be right for it. With the recent media attention on reducing the size of local government this question has been raised again. The Village board was presented with a petition signed by residents seeking that a study be done. Although the petition failed to meet legal requirements, it showed the will of the people. The Village board has since sought to move forward in having a study done. The study is being funded by a grant from the NYS Local Government Efficiency program.
The primary goal of the study is to provide the Village of Perrysburg residents with the necessary data about the most cost effective ways to deliver municipal services up to and including dissolution of the Village. It is planned to have the Village vote for dissolution during the regular elections in March of 2010.
We want the study to be based on independent research and evaluation of an outside consultant, preventing public misconceptions of an unfair conclusion. Through the study , the Village would like to provide the voters, prior the the public referendum, with accurate data on all viable service options for improving efficiency and effectiveness so an informed decision about the dissolution can be made. If the Village voters decide against dissolution, the study will provide the elected boards of the Town and Village with recommendations the Village and Town can jointly pursue for a more effective and efficient government that will reduce municipal costs and taxpayer savings.
We encourage residents to participate in the public hearings. Bring us your questions and concerns and we will do our best to find the answers.
