Petition Filed To Dissolve Spring Valley Government

By Idy Perl

Yesterday, a petition was filed at the Village Clerk of Spring Valley to dissolve the Village of Spring Valley. 

The petition, which has enough signatures to exceed the necessary requirements, is a significant step forward in a campaign that has been ongoing for years. The Village now has 10 days to certify that the signatures are from eligible Spring Valley voters and is then required to schedule a referendum. If majority of Spring Valley’s 33,000 voters approve it, the Village will then need to create a formal plan on the details to dissolve the village government. 

The campaign is being moved forward by residents from the various communities that make up Spring Valley, including Jewish, Hispanic, and Haitian residents. The goal is to transfer village services and departments including public works, sanitation, snow removal, and more, to the towns such as Ramapo or Clarkstown that the current village boundaries are currently within. This would streamline local government services and eliminate redundancy so that they run more efficiently, which would in turn decrease the taxes that Spring Valley residents are paying. 

Rockland Daily spoke with one of the residents behind the petition, who pointed out that while Spring Valley residents pay extra taxes, their roads, parks, and other village services aren’t comparable to those from Ramapo and Clarkstown.

“It’s unnecessary to have an extra layer of government and separate village offices, departments, and staff when we can get the same, if not better, services from the towns that the village boundaries are currently within for less money.”

If all goes smoothly in the coming weeks, residents will vote on the referendum in the upcoming November election.