Representatives of the Bristol town government gave an update on incorporation and answered questions on the process at a meeting Thursday night at Town Hall.
After the meeting, Chairman Richard Gossling said he felt the questions and concerns raised by the about 40 people in attendance were similar to what had been expressed at earlier meetings.
But this session did have some increased urgency. Residents in the proposed village will vote on incorporation on Nov. 3, in less than two weeks.
William White, an attorney was has worked on the incorporation effort on behalf of the town, and Renee Messing, a CPA who worked on related financial projections, each gave a presentation and then opened up the floor to questions.
White started with a update on the process:
White also described how services will be shared and not be duplicated:
Messing explained the budget, the projected effect on taxes and how assets would be allocated between the town and village. The budget document she refers to is available here (sorry about my notes):
Messing addresses the question “will taxes go up?”
White addresses how the town and village could become one municipality again if the village is formed.
Here is a frequently asked questions sheet distributed at the meeting.
Here is a map showing the area that will first become a village.
Town officials have been driving an effort to incorporate part of the town as a village. Under state statutes, a village government has more control over its own destiny. For example, a village can annex territory from adjacent towns, but cannot be annexed involuntarily by other municipalities. Villages also have access to economic development tools that towns do not.
