There have been three great migrations in our history.

One is the Great Migration in Africa where over a million wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles every year cross the Serengeti in search of food and water. It still happens to this day.

The second Great Migration, from 1916 – 1970 was after the Civil War, which was the deadliest war in American History. The death toll was around 850,000. Makes me sick just thinking about it. The central issue of the Civil War was slavery and its expansion ( Democrats for its expansion and Republicans against it ). African Americans left the rural South and traveled North hoping for better economic opportunities, better living conditions and to escape from racial violence.

And now we have a third Great Migration which affects Jamestown. New York state leads the whole country in population loss. Since 2020 the Census Bureau estimates that New York has lost 884,000 residents to other states. More people are leaving then coming into our state.

In the 1960s Jamestown was a thriving city with a diverse range of business and industries which are no longer here. We were once the furniture capital of the world: Jamestown Royal, Jamestown Sterling, Jamestown Lounge, Union National, Monitor, Art Metal, American Furniture, Taylor Table, ProtoTool, Weber knapp, Watson Mfg, A & P, Super Duper, Mohawk Airlines, Bigelow’s, Carnahan’s, Jamesway, Mike and Sam’s, Crescent Tool, Blackstone Corp., gone forever, to mention a few.

Over the years we have lost close to 40% of our residents and tax base. It doesn’t look like they are coming back. The signs have been there for over 60 years. What’s concerning is the lack of importance and seemingly uncaring attitude regarding Jamestown’s history and inevitable downward trend. It’s just business as usual all the time.

In April 2025, a Jamestown City Council member proposed a local law to eliminate the city residency requirement for department heads, suggesting they be allowed to reside in Chautauqua County or an adjoining county in New York State. The aim is to broaden the pool of qualified candidates for appointed positions. I’m sure there are good intentions, but I don’t agree with the reasoning. You know what you have to do but you just won’t do it. Kicking the can down the road only makes matters worse for all taxpayers. Giving away some of our tax base is not the answer. Chickens will eventually come home to roost

If city employees are able to live outside the city, they may not be subject to these local taxes, resulting in a loss of potential revenue which means the rest of us taxpayers will have to pick up the difference. City employees who live within the city are more likely to spend their salaries in local businesses, contributing to the city’s economy through sales taxes and other revenue streams. If employees live outside the city, their spending habits will benefit the economies of their chosen communities, potentially leading to a decrease in sales tax revenue for the city.

According to govsalaries.com the highest Jamestown employee salary in year 2024 was $208,918. The number of employees in year 2024 was 258. The median salary was $74,606. According to the last payroll, Jamestown average salaries was 9 percent higher than the New York state average.

Jamestown employee salaries are usually between $50,007 and $97,218. Top 10% of highest-earning employees have salaries ranging from $112,532 to $208,918 with a built in salary increase of 1.5 percent.

If the interviewee is not happy with that and does not want to live in Jamestown because of the taxes, briskly escort him or her to the door and tell them good riddance.

People do leave when taxes are higher in some cities as opposed to others. It’s not the fault of the residents of Jamestown that our taxes are higher than other communities.

We just had a 3.61% tax increase. I would agree with your proposition if it did not affect the residents of Jamestown in any way. Does this mean the rest of the taxpayers will have to pick up the taxes that are lost?

Based on the latest available information (as of March 1, 2025), the median effective property tax rate in Jamestown, NY is 4.59%. This rate is significantly higher than the national median.

So, if you are paid by the taxpayers of Jamestown you should without question reside here and pay your fair share. Given our history, which no one seems to care about, how much longer do you expect us to keep paying? You can’t keep taxing the generous people of this fine city into prosperity. You can tell by our history and the history of others it doesn’t work that way.

Bruce Piatz is a Jamestown resident.