Residents across New York state will be voting on school budget plans on Tuesday. Despite a recent disdain for tax increases, many who go to the polls overwhelmingly support the plans.

While our coverage normally focuses on those items — as well as the larger municipalities of Dunkirk and Fredonia, it is interesting to note that smaller entities are beginning to get in on the tax increases. In the last week, both Silver Creek and Brocton announced the hikes in their spending plans that total between $2 million and $4 million.

Entities that do not have their own paid police and fire departments do not have the fiscal burden of the cities and larger villages. But their costs are starting to increase as well.

This corner for years has advocated for consolidations and mergers. Brocton has shied away due to its municipal electric while Silver Creek maintains for no good reason other than to keep an identity.

As government dollars from the federal and state governments keep shrinking, smaller entities will continue to feel the pinch. Residents have tolerated this for a long time. Will their patience ever run out?