Village Services

The Village of Bainbridge is a municipal corporation operating under New York State municipal law to provide services to Village residents.  To fund these services, the Village is authorized to assess and collect taxes.   The Village is governed by a Board of Trustees and a Mayor, elected by Village residents.  The services that the Village currently provides are as follows:

Animal Control
The Village provides an Animal Control officer to handle animal complaints.

Local Laws
The Village Board of Trustees is empowered by the State of New York through General Municipal Law to enact local laws, such as Zoning Laws, provided that the law(s) do not conflict or pre-empt State Laws.   A copy of all local laws is available at the Village Office for anyone to view.

Parks
The Village owns and maintains parks within the Village -- the Village Green Park, Pathfinder Park and the baseball fields on Front Street.

Building Permits
Building permits are required for most building projects within the Village.   Building permit applications are available at the Village Clerk's Office.   Please plan ahead as the process, by law, may take some time.  See diagram at the right which shows the steps required.   It is best to submit your application well in advance of your planned project start date so that there is adequate time to process your permit and get the required approvals.  Don't hesitate to discuss your project with the Clerk and/or Code Enforcement Officer before submitting your permit application.  Local Zoning laws are available for inspection at the Village Office and the Bainbridge Free Library.

Other Special Permits
Based upon local laws, the Village issues permits for certain activities such as use of parks or soliciting in the Village.  Forms are available on the "Documents" tab.  Please contact the Village Clerk for further information.

Police
The Village provides police services with a part time Chief of Police and 4 part time officers.

Recreation
The Village supports recreation activities for residents.  The Village contributes to summer recreation programs operated by the Town, contributes to the Bainbridge Free Library, and the Old Time Band.

Sidewalks
The Village maintains and repairs sidewalks throughout the Village.  When necessary, sidewalks are cleared of snow and billed to the property owner.  Some streets have no place for snow cleared from the roadway, so the roadway snow is plowed off the sidewalk.

Streets
Except for NY routes 7 and 206, which are maintained by New York State DOT, the Village maintains, repairs and plows all Village streets as well as the Village Office lot, the parking lot behind North and West Main streets, and the  lot on Walnut St.

Streetlights
The Village leases from NYSEG the 142 street light fixtures on Village Streets.    Electricity for these fixtures is charged separately.  Please report street light outages to the Village office.

Shared Services
The Village works with other local municipalities to share services in the form of equipment as well as manpower.   The Village and the Town work together and share equipment for road repair, construction and snow plowing.

Sewer System and Waste Treatment Plant
The Village Waste Treatment plant is located behind the Payne park and the swimming pool.   The original system and plant was built from 1960 to 1970 at a total cost of $623,982.  Bond debt of $539,000 for the project was paid off in 1997.  In 2009, the plant was upgraded with a new press, new building and headworks at a cost of $4 million which will be paid off in 2039.

Water System
Village water is supplied by wells located on Village property near the Susquehanna river.   Water pressure and capacity for fire fighting  is maintained by tanks near Newton Town road.   The original Village water and reservoir system was built in 1925.  The current system was built in 1988, replacing the Yaleville Reservoir.  It was upgraded in 2001 at a cost of $1.3MM, financed with bonds that will be paid off in 2022.   Water is tested throughout the year and an annual water quality report is distributed to all residents in the spring.  A copy of the most recent report is available by clicking here.