Many residents of our community communicate with me through letters, e-mails, phone calls, and visits to Village Hall, or during chance encounters on the street and at community events. All communication is welcome and encouraged. The communications from residents serve many functions. They let me know the concerns, questions, and preferences as well as criticisms and praise of the community. However, it has become apparent to me through these communications that many people are not aware of the jurisdiction and responsibilities of the Village government. I have oftenreceived letters asking me to address issues which are the responsibility of a different governmental board or agency. I have received requests to change the transportation policy for the schools, address the condition of the school athletic fields, lower Town taxes, change Little League policies, address railroad issues, respond to county and state road issues, etc. These are some of the issues that have come my way. Unfortunately, none of them are the jurisdiction of the Village Board. In addition, there are oftenletters that are criticism of issues that are not the responsibility of the Village Board with considerable comments of their disappointment in the way the Village Board has handled the issue. This is often a difficult situation as we are not responsible for the issue. Although I am happy to refer people to the proper governing body, I feel that it is important that our residents understand the function of a Village government.

In New York State, a Village is a general purpose municipal corporation formed by the residents of an area in one or more towns to provide municipal services. Village government is the government closest to the people, where residents know and directly communicate with their elected representatives. TheVillage government consists of a Mayor and Board of Trustees which appoints residents to a Zoning Board of Appeals, Architectural Review Board and the Planning Board. The Village Board also appoints a Clerk, Treasurer, and Attorney. According to the Conference of Mayors, “The Board of Trustees of a Village shall have management of Village property and finances, …….is responsible for the protection of its property, the safety, health, comfort, and general welfare of its inhabitants, the protection of their property, the preservation of peace and good order, the suppression of vice, the benefit of trade and the preservation and protection of public works.” These responsibilities do not extend to school or library property, business, town, county, and state roads and services, or certain aspects of community organizations. So, although we would be responsible for the lighting on the street, we are not responsible for athletic lighting on the high school field. TheVillage owns the Little League property. However, we did not pay for the lighting and do not pay for the usage. TheVillage met with and developed guidelines and restrictions with Little League regarding their responsibility for usage. However, in cooperation with Little League, we do maintain the fields. We are responsible for the maintenance of Village streets, buildings, and roads. However, we have no jurisdiction over county and state roads or school and library buildings even though they are located within the Village. These are just a few examples of the confusion that some residents seem to have regarding responsibility. In addition, Village taxes, which are set by the Board of Trustees, are completely separate from school, library, town and county taxes. For a more complete understanding of the operation of the Village Board, please visit our web site at www.villageofbabylonny.gov.

If you are not sure of the proper governing authority regarding an issue, please call my office at 669-1212 and I will be happy to refer you to the proper jurisdiction. If it is a Village issue, I will be happy to help you. If not, I will direct you to the correct governing board.