Although I put a high value on local services, particularly when it comes to public safety, I don't see the harm in taking an objective look at all the costs and benefits of what we've got right now. In light of current affairs, it seems logical to gather the facts for examination; now more than ever.
Sunday's (10/5) Times-Herald Record published an editorial on the subject of consolidation. It uses Liberty as an example, where a savings of $1-1.5 million would be realized if the Village government was absorbed by the Town. That's estimated to result in a saving of $1315 in taxes on a $150K home, while town taxpayers would see an increase of about $214 on the same size house. The column made two very important points worth considering by our community-
First, The largest and most emotional obstacle to consolidation is often the cutting of jobs. And there are also some "small town" services and a level of familiarity which might no longer exist. These are certainly costs, even if only emotional, and they must be weighed in the discussion. After all, costs and benefits can't always be quantified in dollar amounts. However, and this leads to point two, a quote- "It is hard for many to see it that clearly because they are looking at things as they are now and trying to envision a situation that they have not seen. But if they would start from scratch, try a zero-based approach to providing public works, public safety, and other services that a population needs, they would see where the unneccessary expenses come in... If they did not have two governments to start with, if they were starting from scratch, it is hard to imagine that they would decide that it makes sense to have two layers costing more money instead of having one that costs less."
Now I'm not advocating anything other than a thorough examination of all the facts at this point. But I do think that it may benefit our entire community to combine certain services. For example, I believe that there are small communities who only support a Police, and/or a Fire Department. Those small municipalities get the rest of their sevices from the Town or County level. In any case, I won't accept the argument that "it never costs less". We need to do away with the old way of doing things. We're no longer a "Post-War" or "Post-Cold War" world. We're heading into uncharted territory and it's imperative that we look forward, not back. There is no precedent to where we're heading.

I live in the Village not the Town, and I would like to keep it that way. The Village is very much already developed, even if it is still changing, and I like being in the sleepy area largely unaffected by the changes of the town. Some may agree, some may not.