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There's a better way. We've recently realized efficiencies and achieved tax equity in simply combining Town and Village managers, finance, highway, and public works depts. Years before, we merged the senior bus and police depts.
All these have proven successful. All protect the taxpayer by having having considerably more oversight than an STD (see below)! The same type of combination could be done with the Rec functions. Although EJRP isn't currently run by the Village gov't, the Trustees own it and plan, as of September, to revise their letter of intent with EJSD to take back oversight of EJRP after 40+ years. October Update: The Prudential Committee has resolved to "Pursue transferring governance of the EJRP to the Village Municipality" and "Ensure disposition of all EJRP properties, facilities, equipment, resources and contracts will be resolved directly with the Village Trustees by June 30, 2017". Consolidating under Town gov't is our Plan B. 
In combining existing Rec Depts within Town gov't, the Town Manager, Selectboard, and Rec Advisory Board would provide checks-and-balances on policy and budgeting. In contrast, a lone 5-member board would oversee an STD.
Sept 29 update: RGSC has just proposed additional layers of STD "oversight" -- 1) Voters (sorry, yearly voting on a budget isn't supervising an organization's policy or procedures) and 2) Rec Advisory Board (who needs another special-interest committee?). Neither suggestion is legit, so we'll leave the chart above intact. Less Oversight Leads to Higher Taxes Across the US and since the 1950s, such special-interest boards and their STDS have taxed residents 10%-15% more than local gov'ts, while providing the same, fewer, or lower-quality services. (Source: Imperfect Union: Representation and Taxation in Multilevel Governments, by Christopher R. Berry) Research shows that, over time, STDs grow disproportionately compared to depts that remain under local gov't. You can see why: without multiple checks and balances, there's much more leeway for STD budgets to bulge -- and no way for taxpayers to rein them in. |
"There is no unifying process that forces [STDs]
to jointly approve the cumulative tax bill;
in fact, there is no guarantee
that each jurisdiction is even aware of
the taxes imposed by the others that overlap its territory."
Imperfect Union: Representation and Taxation in Multilevel Governments,
by Christopher R. Berry, p. 14
to jointly approve the cumulative tax bill;
in fact, there is no guarantee
that each jurisdiction is even aware of
the taxes imposed by the others that overlap its territory."
Imperfect Union: Representation and Taxation in Multilevel Governments,
by Christopher R. Berry, p. 14
