Only two led to referendums. The first, in 1966 when village voters rejected dissolution by a vote of 257 to 106, and the second, in 1993 when the vote was 411 against dissolution to 283 in favor a 59% to 41% majority.

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The 1993 vote “. . marked the end of a bitter nine-month battle between those who favored dissolving the [then] 106-year-old Village and those who sought to preserve it,” as reported in the New Paltz Times issue of September 29, 1993. Village employee Nancy Wilson spoke of the anxiety around job loss that she and her colleagues were experiencing. “We had a lot to lose. We’re glad the people made a decision by more than just five votes.” She and other village employees did indeed have a lot to lose since the Plan of Dissolution did not specify which village employees, if any, would have been hired by the town.

Village Mayor Tom Nyquist urged voters at that time to keep the village form of government, stipulating that a merger with the town “. . won’t save money” and “You don’t just meld two governments together and click your fingers . . It’s going to be a lawyer’s delight. There is going to be a lot of costs involved in this, both economic and human costs.” [The Times Herald Record, January 12, 1993]

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In the 2011 to 2013 New Paltz Government Efficiency and Effectiveness Project, the impact on employees of both the village and the town was considered at length. It was agreed that “. . most current Town and Village employees would continue in their current positions with little immediate change to their job functions and reporting.”[ Final Report for the New Paltz Government Efficiency and Effectiveness Project, September 16, 2013.]

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The Village of New Paltz Dissolution Plan published in May 2025 shows that only the  jobs of the Mayor and the four Village Trustees would be abolished; however, the study also pointed out that there was no guarantee with a dissolution that the town government would preserve all the staff jobs.[ Village of New Paltz Draft Proposed Dissolution Plan May 2025, p.9]