Fonda Mayor William Peeler said he was “taken back” on Tuesday by reports in the local media that the Town of Mohawk was studying the idea of dissolving the Village of Fonda as part of their initiative to update the town’s comprehensive plan. Peeler said that the needs of the town were different than the needs of the village, and that he believes Fonda residents “wouldn’t be on board” with the idea of dissolving due to their strong sense of community identity.
Peeler said although he understood the idea is only a “what if” scenario, he saw “no need” to pursue the issue, and would prefer to look for more opportunities to share services with the town. According to Peeler, the village has made good progress in strengthening it’s financial situation since he took office in 2012, citing savings from consolidating the village’s fire department with the town’s, re-assigning up to 150K in budget expenses, and partnering with the town in order to afford bulk garbage removal for it’s residents.
