Communities
SOMERSET: Town exploring shared services, consolidation
SOMERSET — SOMERSET — The town has formed a three-person Somerset Government Efficiency Committee to explore shared services and consolidation opportunities to provide for a more efficient local government.
Supervisor Richard Meyers and Councilmen Randall Wayner and Daniel Engert will meet at 8 a.m. on Saturday at the town hall to evaluate the efficiency and competitiveness of the town government. The public is invited.
“The process will be transparent and comprehensive,” Engert wrote. “Recommendations will be based on quantified data that will demonstrate a clear and direct benefit to the residents of the Town of Somerset.”
The committee developed a list of opportunities for analysis. Specific areas that will be studied include:
• Purchasing agreements: Office products, IT services, fuels, street/road treatment, maintenance and repair products
• Tax assessment services
• Energy/utilities expense
• Public works: Streets, highway maintenance and treatment, parks, facilities maintenance, mowing
• Personnel costs
• Sanitation
“We are excited about exploring and researching ways to save taxpayer dollars by determining the feasibility of consolidating and sharing services and resources,” Engert said. “Our first comprehensive study is under way and involves looking at the tax assessment function.”
Somerset is the only town in Niagara County that uses three elected assessors on a Board of Assessors, Engert said. The SGEC will explore this to see if direct benefits to Somerset taxpayers are possible.
“Basically, we feel that government needs an overhaul,” Engert said in a statement. “We need to openly evaluate the way that government works and continually strive to find the best practices to accomplish the functions and purposes of government at the local level. I'm really excited to work with this committee to bring some fresh eyes and new ideas to the Town of Somerset.”
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