Perhaps the most important vote in the almost 200-year history of the Village of Williamsville will take place next Tuesday. Village residents will be asked if the government of the Village of Williamsville should be dissolved, an act that would not only eliminate a political entity but also take away a responsive, grass-roots form of representation missing from many communities.

Because of the vague nature of state legislation that makes village dissolution possible, the outcome of a “yes” vote is a gamble that the result will save residents money on taxes — all without a loss of services or quality of life.

It is not a gamble village residents should take.

Dissolving village government in Williamsville would be a significant change in how residents and business owners alike are served. While many effects of dissolution are unclear, one thing is a certainty: The Village Board would have a scant 180 days to compile a plan of how to put itself out of business. That is not enough time to manage the numerous legal, financial and political questions that would arise from a knee-jerk decision.

As village voters prepare to go to the polls, no one can provide a written schedule of events that would follow dissolution. There is nothing to point to as the definitive reason to vote in favor of the plan. Even town and village officials cannot state with certainty how they would handle the future of village parks, recreation, buildings, personnel, infrastructure, emergency services, court and tax collection.

Dissolving the village government will not directly prevent young professionals from moving out of town. This is a regional problem. Village government in Williamsville is not perfect, but it does provide residents with a level of response and service not possible on a townwide scale.

There are too many unanswered questions to warrant a vote in favor of dissolution.

Williamsville is more than a neighborhood. It is not a community that merely bears the name of early settlers. It is a village because it gave security and value to a center of early commerce where families chose to live. These pioneers agreed to incorporate their hometown and create a system to elect their neighbors as its caretakers. It is street-corner democracy.

It is the best way residents of the core of Amherst can be sure their voices are not lost in the noise surrounding bigger issues. These taxpayers have personal representation. That was why the Village of Williamsville was created in 1850.

We urge a “no” vote on dissolution.