The Village Trustees have received a petition from Village residents that will put full separation on the ballot. This is a Village-only vote.
As neighbors, I ask that we all stay engaged, relying on legitimate sources of information, for the April 13th, 2021 merger revote. This is a town-wide vote.
As a TOV resident, I am deeply concerned about the consequences of a no vote on merger. The Village is tired of being vilified by a few individuals who rely on us not fact checking what they say. It will cost us in the TOV thousands more in taxes if we vote no on merger as opposed to voting yes.
A full separation vote is the Village’s backup plan to their own tireless efforts to be seen as equals and welcomed members of our community. This is not a threat. It’s a dire warning to all of us about the consequences of believing misinformation and gossip.
Be prepared to hear the following 12 FALSEHOODS:
1. The pro-merger groups are bitter about losing, so they want a revote.
2. The Selectboard is ignoring the TOV by holding a revote.
3. We are only voting on merger. We don’t need to take into account separation.
4. This merger is just a tax shift.
5. The TOV budget is self-sustaining and the Village’s is not. The TOV doesn’t need the Village.
6. The Village spent on “boutique” services the Town doesn’t have. They are financially irresponsible and need a bail out.
7. Ever since IBM left, the Village has lost its golden goose and they need the TOV to stay afloat.
8. We saved nothing from the consolidation efforts thus far because taxes didn’t go down.
9. If there were savings in merging, how we save money by merging would be a simple answer.
10. The Village is just too different from the TOV to merge.
11. We should stay with status quo or try separate and share instead. (Opinion)
12. A vote for this merger is a vote to kill 3 + 3 representation.
Every single one of the 12 items above are FALSE.
Please, think critically when you hear these arguments being pushed and fact check the sources that you hear them from.
Pushing back on misinformation helps every member of our community, and gives all of us the opportunity to judge for ourselves what we think is in our best interest, and the best interest of our community.