The Vote Yes lawn sign planted outside the Brockport Village Municipal Building at 49 State Street, the June 16 polling place
Spotted at 49 State Street — the Village Municipal Building, and your polling place on June 16.

Brockport Ballot Measure · Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Brockport is paying for two courts. The law only requires one.

Vote YES on June 16 to end the double bill — and keep every service.

Brockport runs the last village court in Monroe County. Every other village, including Honeoye Falls and Fairport, folded its court into its town court years ago. We are the only ones left paying for two. And here is the part the other side will not say plainly: even the judge fighting to keep it admits it only "breaks even," and the Village's own accountant expects it to run about $30,000 in the red this year. Nobody claims it makes money. On June 16, you can stop paying for a duplicate without losing a single service.

01 The Short Version

If you only read four things, read these.

We pay for two courts.

Every village resident already funds the mandatory Town of Sweden Court. The Village Court is an optional second one on top of it.

It does not make money.

By the Village's own ledger it has lost money in 8 of the last 11 years, and even its own defenders' corrected numbers only reach break-even.

Nothing is lost.

Cases move across the street to the Town of Sweden Court, heard by judges with the same training and the same rules.

The money is needed elsewhere.

Leaking roofs, aging HVAC, and rising water and sewer costs are real. A duplicate court is not.

02 What the Numbers Actually Say

Both sides' numbers point the same way.

The Village Accountant keeps an 11-year ledger of what the court brings in and what it costs. You can read it yourself — the Village Court financial spreadsheet. Here is what it shows.

~$30K projected in the red this year
8of11 years the court has lost money
~43% drop in court revenue since its 2018 peak
$30–49K lost every year — and the gap keeps growing
  • The court has lost money in 8 of the last 11 years.
  • Last year it ran a loss on the Village's books, and the accountant projects it about $30,000 in the red this year, with more to come.
  • Court revenue has fallen about 43% since its 2018 peak, while salaries, benefits, and insurance keep rising.
  • Even the court's own defenders, using their own corrected figures, reach break-even at best. Both sides' numbers point the same way: this is not a money-maker.

And the shortfall is only part of the cost: it sits on top of the building, the upkeep, and the staff that come with running a second court the village does not need.

03 What the Court Handles, and Where It Goes

You are not losing a service. You are ending a duplicate.

The Village Court handles everyday local matters: traffic tickets, parking tickets, and village code violations. None of that disappears. Under this plan those cases move to the Town of Sweden Court, the court every Brockport resident already pays for and that already serves the rest of the town. It sits a short walk away, and its judges follow the same New York State rules and training as the village judges.

In other words, you are not losing a service. You are consolidating two courts into the one the law actually requires.

04 What a YES Vote Means

Plain about what changes — and what doesn't.

Voting YES will NOT

  • End justice in Brockport. Every case is still heard, at the Town of Sweden Court right across the street, by judges with the same state training and the same rules. Village residents can and do serve as Town justices.
  • Touch the police, the college, or law enforcement. Brockport's police keep policing and keep filing cases. The college is unaffected.
  • Give up parking or ordinance revenue. The Village keeps its authority over parking and code fines either way.

Voting YES WILL

  • Stop the subsidy. End a loss of roughly $30,000 to $49,000 a year that grows over time.
  • End paying for two courts when the law only requires one.
  • Free up money for the roofs, water lines, and services residents actually use.

05 What You're Hearing vs. What's True

Set the claims next to the record.

You'll hear"The court pays for itself."

The recordEven the judge defending it calls it a "break-even proposition," and the Village Accountant projects it about $30,000 in the red this year. Nobody claims it turns a profit.

You'll hear"Dissolving it will raise your taxes."

The recordYou already pay for the Town of Sweden Court. Abolishing the Village Court ends the double payment. It does not start a new one.

You'll hear"We'll lose local justice and local control."

The recordJustice does not end. It moves across the street to a court your taxes already fund, with the same rules and the same training. The closest county without a village court still has working courts.

You'll hear"It's being rushed."

The recordThis has been in the open for months: a committee report in December, public hearings in January, a community forum in March, board votes, and now a public vote where every resident decides. State law only allows this decision at the end of the justices' term, which is why it is on the ballot now.

06 Why This Is Happening Now

Not a snap decision. A public process, months in the open.

  1. Dec 2025

    A volunteer Ad Hoc Committee finished its review of the court and presented it to the Village Board.

  2. Jan 2026

    The Board held public hearings, including one at the Oliver Middle School auditorium.

  3. Mar 2026

    A community information forum gave residents a chance to hear both sides and ask questions.

  4. Spring 2026

    The Board voted to put the question directly to the voters.

  5. June 16, 2026

    Every registered village voter decides.

07 A Couple of Fair Questions

Worth asking out loud.

If the building at 127 Main Street is not really a court expense, why did the Village spend $250,000 on it at all? It was bought to house the court. No court, no need for the building or its rising upkeep.

When you look at who is fighting hardest to keep the court, it is worth asking whose jobs depend on the answer.

08 The People Who Know It Best Agree

Across the aisle and across the years.

A "duplicate, insolvent service" and "a subsidy without end."
Carol Lee Hannan Former Village Trustee who voted to create the court — now says it's time to abolish it. Read her piece
"A duplicate service."
Mayor Ben Reed On the Village Court, plainly. Spectrum News 1
The village no longer needs a second court.
Trustee Sandeep Singh & the Ad Hoc Committee Who helped lead the budget review and studied the court. Read the answers
Put the question to the people, not behind closed doors.
The Village Board Chose to let every resident decide on June 16.

09 How to Vote

Tuesday, June 16. Mark YES.

When
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 — noon to 9:00 p.m.
Where
Brockport Village Municipal Building, 49 State Street
The ballot asks
"Shall the Brockport Village Court be abolished effective June 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.?"

To abolish it, vote YES.

Photo of the actual paper ballot proposition with the Yes bubble filled in
The real ballot — this is exactly what you'll see on June 16.

11 Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers.

Will I lose access to a local court?

No. Cases move to the Town of Sweden Court, which is close by and which you already pay for. Its judges follow the same state rules and training.

Where will my case be heard?

At the Town of Sweden Court. The traffic, parking, and code matters that used to go to the village court go there instead.

Will my taxes go up or down?

The goal is down, or at the very least to stop a loss that keeps growing. You already pay for the Town court, so this ends a double payment rather than starting a new one.

Why not just keep it if it only costs a little?

Because a little, every year, with no end, adds up, and the Village Accountant expects it to keep climbing. Small and permanent is still a bill the village does not need to carry.

What happens to the court employees?

The court's positions end with the court, handled under the Village's normal personnel policies. A one-time wind-down cost is not a reason to keep a permanent yearly loss.

What happens to the court buildings?

They stay Village property. The Village can keep them for other uses or sell them to recover value and shed the upkeep.

Can the Town of Sweden Court really handle it?

The Town court already serves every resident of the town, and other villages have made the same move. Sweden handled village matters before the village court ever existed.

What about unpaid parking tickets?

The Village sets and enforces its own parking rules and keeps that revenue. New York also has tools, such as vehicle registration holds, to collect unpaid fines no matter which court is involved.

Is this being rushed?

No. It has run through a committee report, public hearings, a community forum, board votes, and now a public vote, over roughly seven months. The timing itself is set by state law.

Is Brockport really the only village court left in the county?

Yes. It is the last one in Monroe County. Others, including Honeoye Falls and Fairport, have already closed theirs.

What exactly does the ballot say?

"Shall the Brockport Village Court be abolished effective June 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.?" A YES vote abolishes the court.

When and where do I vote?

Tuesday, June 16, 2026, from noon to 9:00 p.m., at the Village Municipal Building, 49 State Street.

One court. Not two.

Brockport is the last village in the county still paying for a court it does not need.

The numbers are the Village's own. The choice is yours.

Vote YES on Tuesday, June 16.