Lockport, NT shared service a good sign

Editorials

October 18, 2010

Staff Reports Lockport Union-Sun & Journal The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Mon Oct 18, 2010, 01:51 AM EDT

LOCKPORT — Starting today, the City of Lockport will have the same utilities director, but she’ll be doing double duty.

Paula Sattelberg will be heading up not only the Lockport water and wastewater treatment operations but also those of North Tonawanda.

It’s a move we’ve never seen before for the two cities, and comes after long discussion on feasibility and just plain old questions on how it would all work equally for the two cities.

But in our opinion, it’s a fantastic move. In this day and age, of tighter budgets, less revenue and a shrinking tax base, everything is on the table when it comes to finding ways to save costs, combine efforts with other municipalities and consolidate.

Ideas that previously would have never been considered because of turf and territory may now be the norm as so many cities and towns find themselves in tough financial situations.

Lockport and North Tonawanda are not alone.

Wilson and Niagara Falls are sharing an assessor.

Barker and Lyndonville are considering merging their school

districts into one.

In some counties the individual town and village courts have gone by the wayside and now there’s one or two and then a county courthouse.

It’s a sign of the times when these types of partnerships are forged and agreements reached that make sense for all involved.

Now, there’s always going to be a question as to how these moves will affect the services the individual town and its people have become accustomed to, but until the works starts happening, it’s tough to predict if there would be a drop off.

All hope is that in any shared service or merger that each city, town or village will get a fair shake from that one shared individual or office, but you really never know until the work begins.

Either way, the Sattelberg has us hopeful that as the times continue to get tough, cities like Lockport and North Tonawanda will continue to look at specific ways to save, consolidate, share and more.

In the end, you want your service and quality of life offerings to be just as good or comparable for the taxpayers, but whenever there’s an opportunity to share resources, eliminate duplication and just consolidate, we’re on board.

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Editorials

‘Mailing it in’ is not good enough
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March 2, 2012
OUR VIEW: Time for Mongielo to face the music
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January 2, 2012
OUR VIEW: At dawn of New Year, a call for civility
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January 2, 2012
Have a safe New Year's Eve
This isn’t the Prohibition era, and we’re not into moralizing about alcohol consumption.
We have no beef about adults having a few drinks on New Year’s Eve, as long as no one else gets hurt in the process. Your choice — hangover, no hangover. Check yes or no.
But, with one very important proviso: Don’t drink and drive.
And we’re very much against hosts of a New Year’s Eve party sending their guests out to their cars when their guests have overindulged. Especially when there are safe options to avoid behavior that risks your life and that of others you may encounter on the road.

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The bus stops here
The NFTA’s proposed cuts to local bus routes have the potential to really hurt the little guy, the rider who relies on the bus to get to work, to shop, to get to the doctor’s.
It just shouldn’t happen.

December 28, 2011
OUR VIEW: Lockport taxpayers lose again
We find it highly inappropriate that the City of Lockport — via its development corporation — is again punishing taxpayers for renovations to 57 Canal St.

April 26, 2011
CHEERS & JEERS
We applaud Lockport Town Court and Judge Leonard G. Tilney Jr. for recusing themselves from the driving-while-intoxicated case against local attorney Daniel E. Seaman due to conflict of interest.

April 26, 2011
OUR VIEW: Recharge N.Y. is a plus for us
We’re encouraged that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s visit to Niagara County this week brings a new and improved version of the Power For Jobs program to our area.

April 21, 2011
CHEERS & JEERS: The US&J’s view on the best and worst of the week
April 21, 2011
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April 21, 2011
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