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Stories From Main Street: Rye Town Supervisor Fights To Dissolve Town

RYE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Town of Rye Supervisor Joe Carvin would just love to put himself out of a job.

He wants to dissolve the town, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported.

"There's too many layers of government in New York state," Carvin said. "Taxes are too high as a result of all those levels of government. My layer of government ... it doesn't make sense to keep that layer of government, so we're working hard to eliminate the town of Rye."

Stories From Main Street: Rye Town Supervisor Fights To Dissolve Town

Gov. Andrew Cuomo supports consolidation.

Rye illustrates why.

Rye town is not to be confused with the city of Rye. The town consists of the village of Rye Brook, the village of Port Chester and a section called Rye Neck, which straddles the border with the village of Mamaroneck.

"The village of Mamaroneck is divided between two towns -- divided between the town of Mamaroneck and the town of Rye," Carvin explained. "Again, that's the evolution over the years. It was completely haphazard."

Every municipal board involved has to approve dissolving the town, and so do state lawmakers. Then the issue would be put before voters in a referendum.

"I fully expect that each municipality, at the end of the day, the people will vote in favor because it's going to lower your taxes," Carvin said. "And that's what people want. I think we can provide an improved service at less cost if people vote for this."

Although, some Rye Neck residents fear the change could actually lead to a tax increase there, Carvin's numbers are different.

"When we look at the way we should govern ourselves, I'm very confident you could take a minimum 20 percent out of your tax bill," he said.

Carvin thinks Rye could pave the way for more consolidation around the state.

"If we can be successful, I think it shows people the way forward," he said.

"If we don't change, we're going to have a really, really difficult time competing in the global economy. How is that New York state, with the business capital of the world, is ranked 50th in terms of its place to do business?"

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