By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA — The village and town each passed resolutions this week to pay $12,500 each for a local government efficiency study, which could recommend village dissolution.

The town’s vote came at their Wednesday night meeting and the village agreed at theirs the previous evening.

“Dissolution is part of it, looking at the whole operation,” Town Supervisor Joseph Gray said. “The study may find what would make sense is more cooperation … you can save money if you do this and this together.”

Board members said the last time Massena had such a study done was in 1996, which Gray called “flawed.”

“The 96 study never looked at special use districts … so that study was flawed,” he said.

“Special use districts would apply … to West Massena,” Councilman Albert Nicola said. “It’s unique to Massena.”

Councilman Steve O’Shaughnessy, who later made a motion to spend the money and voted yes, initially seemed to have reservations about the study.

“If they ever came to a vote, it would just be the village that would have say in this. We would have no dog in that fight. If they’re doing a study, it would be to see if the village should dissolve,” he said, later chiming in “I’m in favor … if we can save money, I’m all in favor of that.”

“We would benefit from the study’s information about consolidation of government, consolidation of DPWs,” Councilman Thomas Miller said.