Orangetown Councilman Tom Morr asked for an update on the possible elimination of the position of Receiver of Taxes at Tuesday night's meeting.
The town board would have to pass a resolution to have the matter placed on the ballot for this November.
Current Receiver of Taxes Bob Simon said he supports the move and would help in the transition. Democrat Chris Smith, who announced plans to run against Simon this November, also supports the change, as do all five members of the town council.
"The board seems to be unanimous in its desire to move forward with putting that on the November ballot," Orangetown Supervisor Andy Stewart said. "I support that. I do believe that is the trend in municipalities to consolidate receiver positions.
"The update would be that we should make a town board resolution to put it on the ballot, but there is no big rush to do that. I would like to be able to say fairly clearly how we plan to make that consolidation work."
In Orangetown, the plan for who would take over the receiver's duties has not yet been determined. In many cases, it is the town clerk who takes over, but those duties are also tied into the finance department and assessor's office.
"We need to have the discussion promptly," Morr said. "I don't think it should take so long to do. There is a precedent with Clarkstown. We should look at that. Let's look at what they did that was deemed legal."
Clarkstown voters approved a similar transition, with the Receiver's office consolidated with the Town Clerk. That is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2014.
Orangetown Councilman Tom Diviny cited Simon's support as another reason to move forward quickly.
"Bob Simon supports this measure wholeheartedly," Diviny said. "He'll help us any way he can. If he is reelected in the fall, he will help us transition over the next four years. The Receiver of Taxes is ready to run with the ball and the board wants to do it. Let's get the resolution passed. I agree with Tom Morr. Let's get this done sooner rather than later."
