At the end of 2023, the Town of Crawford board received approval from residents to turn the municipality into a coterminous village town but hit a roadblock after New York State required changes to the town government. The board and J. Benjamin Gailey, the town attorney, discussed how to move forward from this during their August 15 meeting.

In September 2023, the board announced a proposal to form a new village and immediately consolidate it into the town, turning Crawford into a coterminous village town. Supervisor Charles Carnes explained that he and the board want to prevent other villages from forming within the town, thereby preventing increases to residents’ taxes and developments on Crawford’s open space. Carnes stressed that everything in the town, including its various departments, would remain the same.

“Basically, the borders stay the same, the police department stays the same, the fire department stays the same, the highway department stays the same…once that is established, you can’t build another village in the village, so we won’t have duplication of services,” Carnes said on September 21. “If another village was formed, they can change the zoning, they can form their own government, and we’re all going to be paying for it…this consolidation gives, in my opinion, the residents protection, and the master plan gives us more control.”

The town later held a combined election on December 12, giving residents the choice to turn the municipality into a village town. After receiving sufficient votes, the board formed the village but has not begun the consolidation yet due to facing legal issues with New York State. If the consolidation goes through, the state requires the town board to become a village board, turning the supervisor into mayor and board members into trustees. The town’s departments would remain the same but certain positions, like the town clerk, would be chosen by appointment instead of by election. Carnes and the board are not keen on this transition.

“We wanted to stay operating as a town but the state is saying ‘No, we have to operate as a village,’ Carnes said during Crawford’s August 15 meeting. “We’re trying to avoid that, and that’s where we ran into the problem.”

Gailey asserted that Carnes and the board would retain the same authority as a village board and could eventually transition back to a town board through various legislation, such as passing a resolution to replace appointments with elections.

“You’d have all the authority that a town would have, and there are steps that could be taken in the future to gradually turn that village government back into a primarily town government,” Gailey explained. “For instance, in a village, a clerk is appointed. The board could pass a local law subject to referendum to make that an elected position, and therefore be just like a town clerk.”

Gailey also suggested that home rule legislation could provide more control over the town government’s framework, allowing the board to revert to its town operations post-consolidation.

“You can get home rule legislation that would essentially void everything that previously happened and accomplish everything that the town board and electorate want to accomplish,” he said.

Gailey mentioned earlier that the board has 60 days, or until October 14, to pass the consolidation, with the option to amend the resolution before then if needed. The board members did not pass the consolidation at this time but will continue looking into state legislation and working with Senator James Skoufis until they reach the ideal coterminous village town.