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We are not against the recent action by the Chautauqua County Legislature to approve additional funding to the town of Pomfret for a study to investigate options for shared services and mergers. We do believe, however, that not enough is being said regarding where the effort stands.
In July, lawmakers approved a resolution to award Pomfret $25,000 from the county’s Government Reduction initiative for the initiative. The money is not part of the county’s budget but rather will be coming from its reserve accounts.
To his credit, Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel called upon the city of Dunkirk, the town of Dunkirk, town of Pomfret and the village of Fredonia to work together earlier this year. There was plenty of momentum for these gatherings in March and April.
But where are we today? These meetings are not being discussed publicly at all, not even at the separate municipal meetings.
What we do keep hearing about is the trouble both the city and Fredonia face. Pomfret's problems -- in purchasing a new town hall that is getting more expensive by the day -- are not as dire. In the meantime, the town of Dunkirk is having no worries making ends meet since it does not have to manage a paid fire department or police department.
This newspaper definitely backs municipal consolidation -- or any types of shared or combined service. But handing out another $25,000 -- with no public report on progress -- is a bit troublesome.