Shortly before the boil-water order hit Fredonia and its users, elected officials were dealing with some other leaks — notably those that are impacting the Darwin R. Barker Library and improvements needed to the Village Hall.

It is just one more issue for a cash-strapped entity that recently passed on its troubles to property owners to the tune of a 56% tax increase. “We’re going to have to really do an inventory of repairs that need to be done for the building, and quit talking about it,” village Mayor Michael Ferguson said during a trustees workshop. “We got a quarter of the judge’s chamber roof sitting on the judge’s desk. We’ve got significant damage to the Opera House and winter’s probably five short months away. Whatever we’re going to do we need to address it quickly.”

But where will repair funds come from?

Despite the constant criticism being thrown at this board, most of these issues go back to the previous trustees and leadership that were either unresponsive or just plain slow. It has been like that with water problems, which due to the lack of being addressed has led to six boil-water orders in 30 months. It also has been like this with infrastructure and repairs.

Over the years, the only part of the government that truly received any real attention was the work force. Employees were added to the fire department. Staff members receive raises on a regular basis. In addition, a department head received a 20% pay increase in one year that was vehemently defended by the trustees who allowed for it.

Fredonia is one of many county governments — with 6,700 residents in the village, another 3,000 at the college and 102 employees — that has become too big for the community it serves. Ferguson has been hopeful about consolidation efforts. That makes some sense, but it will also have plenty of pushback.

New York state, under President Donald Trump, is facing money worries as well. Whatever ails Fredonia in repairs, infrastructure and overstaffing will not be fixed with Albany’s help.

This is where the village needs to look at the future. How viable is the current system without breaking the backs of the constituents they serve with higher taxes and fees?

At the moment, the coming years are not promising.