Board members from the villages of Saranac Lake and Lake Placid and the towns of Harrietstown and North Elba reach out to cross municipal boundaries Thursday in what they called a landmark meeting and the beginning of an increase in communication and cooperation between the municipalities. From left are Harrietstown Councilman Ron Keough, Harrietstown Supervisor Larry Miller, Lake Placid Mayor Jamie Rogers, North Elba Supervisor Roby Politi and Saranac Lake Mayor Thomas Michael. “The people have spoken on shared services; they’ve told us to share them,” Michael said. (Enterprise photo — George Earl)

LAKE PLACID — For the past year, 15 commissioners collaborated with elected leaders from communities across the state to tackle a major problem — the state’s burgeoning local tax burden, which this commission reports is presently the highest in the nation.

Lake Placid Mayor Jamie Rogers was one of those 15 commissioners, selected statewide, to partake in the state Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness. State Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, and Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, were also selected as members. The commission emphasized the importance of modernizing local governments by consolidating their functions and sharing services between them.

“It’s so important for local leaders who have ideas to get them out there and start sharing with others,” Rogers said, “We cannot afford to function in our own little bubble.”

Stan Lundine, the commission chairman and former lieutenant governor of New York, said the municipal gov