At the end of 2011, it became one of the biggest of more than 50 New York villages to dissolve since 1900.

Four years later and 20 miles down the road, residents of Lyons, the county seat of Wayne County, found themselves on the same path. That village of 3,619 people also ended up eliminating its government and merging into a town.

The dissolution votes in Seneca Falls and Lyons were close – the margin was fewer than 100 votes in both places. High taxes drove the push in both villages. The impact dissolution would have on public safety also dominated the debates.

Now, Depew with 15,146 residents – the second largest of Erie County's 16 villages, behind only Kenmore – takes center stage with its dissolution vote Tuesday. If dissolution wins out, Depew government would be swallowed by the towns of Cheektowaga and Lancaster.

The 124-year-old village – the 20th largest in the state – would become the first village in Erie County to dissolve, at least since 1900, according to Department of State records.

It would also surpass Seneca Falls as the most-populated village to dissolve in decades.

Since 2008, residents of 28 villages in New York have voted against dissolving, while 19 voted to abolish their village governments, according to records from the New York State Conference of Mayors. Of 19 villages that abolished their village governments, Seneca Falls and Lyons are the two communities closest in size to Depew.

Depew struggles with stagnant growth, aging infrastructure and double taxation from the towns of Cheektowaga and Lancaster, both of which include portions of the village.

As Depew voters prepare to decide their village’s fate, what can they learn from the experiences in Seneca Falls and Lyons?

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Seneca Falls

The village had long been searching for a more efficient, less expensive way to govern. Village residents were frustrated with paying higher property taxes than their neighbors in the Town of Seneca Falls, whose budget was boosted by $3 million a year in revenues from the Seneca Meadows landfill.

The village initiated a dissolution plan. The debate was emotionally-charged and filled with some ugly moments. In the end, the dissolution vote was 1,198 to 1,112.

"When I looked at what the village folks were paying in taxes, versus the town, it really wasn't fair," said town resident Menzo D. Case, Generations Bank president and chief executive officer, who supported dissolution. "The key is to have good government and smaller government. The roads are still plowed, the garbage is picked up and the police department is more prevalent."

After the vote, all but about a handful of village employees kept their jobs. Many feared village police would be scrapped and residents would have to rely on the county sheriff's department for police services. But instead, the town adopted the village police into a town force and expanded it. It grew in manpower by six officers to today's total of 18, who now cover 27 square miles instead of the 4.7 square miles that made up the former village. Police costs grew by about $500,000 a year.

"It took a while for a majority of the town to see what we provide. We did take pay cuts when we took over," said Stuart W. Peenstra, who became the town police chief in 2012.

Town residents were upset they could not vote in the village’s dissolution vote.

"The only say we had was to pay more taxes," said Carson Lankford, who lives in the town along Cayuga Lake. "It was a real bummer."

Despite the growing pains, the character of the community of Seneca Falls remains unchanged. The village was believed to be the inspiration for Bedford Falls in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

"People thought the flavor of the community would be lost, but that really rests within the people themselves," said Stewart Jensen, owner of Seneca Office Products.

Florist shop owner Joyce Sinicropi, a 41-year local merchant, described it as "a success story."

But what is good for Seneca Falls may not be good for all.

"You need to really give it a hard look to see if it's a best fit for your community," Peenstra said.

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Lyons

The Town of Lyons just hit the one-year anniversary of life without its village. Anchored as the county seat, it still boasts a downtown business district.

It all came about when a local pastor began knocking on doors with a petition to bring dissolution to a vote.

"My push was that you have people on limited incomes who just can't keep affording these God dang taxes, and why can't we combine?" said John Murtari of the OneLyons pro-dissolution group.

The vote to dissolve was close, 619 to 585 votes.

The sweet reward has been tax savings. For former villagers, it has meant a tax savings of about 60 percent, while town residents' taxes have dropped by about 8 percent, said Brian Manktelow, the town supervisor for eight years.

Not everyone was happy with the vote.

"I was very strongly feeling we should not dissolve the village because the reason a village is a village is that you're willing to pay more for better service," said former village trustee Sean Dobbins, owner of Dobbins Drugs on William Street.

But a year later, Dobbins has had a change of heart. As probably the biggest taxpayer in the former village – between his home, business and rental property – Dobbins said he is saving about 35 percent in taxes.

"So my stance against dissolution has definitely lightened, but I'm embarrassed to say so, a little bit," he said.

What to do about police services in Lyons was a big issue. The budget for the 12-officer village police department had been approaching $1 million a year. Wayne County sheriff's deputies and state police had patrolled the town outside the village.

The town decided to let sheriff's and state police continue to keep the peace and did not retain the village police force. Some village officers retired, a few were hired by the sheriff's department and others went to work for other towns.

"We've been over-policed by the sheriff deputies and state troopers," Dobbins said. "I think I'm the only guy in Lyons who hasn't had a chance to get pulled over."

Manktelow said, "… a year later, I think it's going very well. For Lyons, it's a really good fit."

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Depew

Talk about dissolving Depew has turned ugly since the push began last summer. Personal attacks and scare tactics have marked the days leading up to the vote. There is strong push-back from village police and highway workers whose jobs could be in jeopardy. Firefighters in Depew are volunteers but they say fire protection wouldn't be the same, either. Opponents question the tax savings projected by pro-dissolution advocates and warn that public safety services, emergency response times and street plowing would suffer if the village no longer existed.

However, dissolution supporters say the village can no longer afford to exist. With $8.24 million in debts, an upward spiraling tax levy and a 56 percent spike in spending since 2003, the dissolution advocates estimate  Depew taxpayers on the Cheektowaga side could save between $408 and $975 a year in taxes if the village government is eliminated, while those on the Lancaster side could save between $457 and $1,050.

In all, 10,044 residents are eligible to vote Tuesday. Of that number, 4,379 are 55 or older.

Polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. in Village Hall, 85 Manitou St.

email: krobinson@buffnews.com

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