Fredonia Mayor Athanansia Landis is upset with the newly enacted state budget. In the Aid and Incentives to Municipalities funding, otherwise known as AIM, the village is scheduled to receive $89,140, the same amount as last year.

AIM funds are issued to all cities, villages and towns in the state on a non-competitive basis and they help cover various expenses during the year. The amount an entity receives varies based on population. Landis notes the village’s $98,140 pales in comparison to the $1.5 million for the city of Dunkirk, which has a somewhat close population level.

That’s true.

But take the comparison in a different direction. Last year, the village of Hamburg, with a population of nearly 57,000, received $102,635. That’s right, a village with more than five times the population of Fredonia, wasn’t even close to getting five times in AIM funds. Compared to Hamburg, Fredonia should receive less than $20,500.

This is the problem when you start comparing funding levels. On one side, it appears you’re getting the shaft, and then from a different side, you’re getting more than your fair share.

Instead of comparing what others are getting, village leaders need to run their municipalities as efficiently as possible. And if they can’t make anymore cuts, then it’s time see if dissolution is the best option. That’s what Cherry Creek and Forestville did. And what happened to their AIM funds? They were redirected to the towns that took them over.