The residents of Spring Valley are once again contemplating the dissolution of the village. As confirmed by the Clarkstown Supervisor Office, a petition to dismantle Spring Valleyโs village government is now being reviewed by the village clerkโs office to verify the documents authenticity and validity. If certified, New York State Municipal Law mandates that the petition be put to a referendum.
The Village of South Nyack was the latest Rockland municipality to exercise this right in December of 2020, voting by a margin of 508-292 to dissolve their government and become a part of Orangetown. Spring Valley Clerk Diana Montgomery declined to comment on the petition when contacted by the RCT.
If successful, the push to dissolve the village would result in current Spring Valley residents receiving services from the Town of Clarkstown and Ramapo rather than relying on their own independent government. Spring Valley had previously forfeited their Building Department to the county in 2022, becoming the first village in New York history mandated to do so by the state government.
This is not the first time Spring Valley has flirted with dissolution. A similar petition was circulated in 2022, but did not receive the support necessary to force a referendum.
At that time advocates for Spring Valley, including former State Congressman Ken Zebrowski and members of the Spring Valley chapter of Citizens United to Protect Our Neighborhood, decried the effort. Zebrowski characterized the petition as โa threat to the influence of the people of Spring Valley.โ
The Village of Spring Valley was first incorporated in 1902 and is the second largest village in Rockland, eclipsed only by New City. No stranger to controversy, Spring Valley has seen their village hall raided by the County DAโs office in 2021, a physical altercation between itโs Mayor Alan Simon and Police Chief Richard Oleszcuk in May of this year, and a building inspector arrested but not charged in connection to the fire that destroyed Evergreen Nursing home.

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