Town or village? A plain-English guide to how Webster is actually governed

If you live in Webster, you may have noticed something odd on your tax bill: you're paying two separate municipal governments, not one. If you've ever tried to figure out whether to call the Town or the Village about a zoning question, you've run into the same puzzle. And if you've voted in a school board election in May, a town race in November, and a village trustee race in June all in the same year, you've already met all three layers of local government in one place.

Here is what is actually going on.

Two governments, same name, one ZIP code

Webster, New York is not one government. It is two, stacked on top of each other, sharing the ZIP code 14580.

The Town of Webster is the outer layer. It covers 35.2 square miles in northeastern Monroe County, borders Lake Ontario to the north and the Town of Penfield to the south, and has roughly 45,000 residents. Under New York State law, every resident of the state lives in a town (unless they live in a city or on a reservation). The town exists by default. You did not petition for it.

The Village of Webster is a smaller, separately incorporated entity that sits entirely inside the town. It covers 2.2 square miles around the historic four-corners area where Route 404 (Main Street) meets Route 250. About 5,651 people live there. The village was incorporated in 1905, by resident petition, to add services on top of what the town already provided. Incorporating a village does not replace the town. Village residents remain town residents. They receive services from both governments and pay taxes to both.

To be precise: the village is an island of incorporation inside the larger town. The town surrounds it on all sides.

What each government actually does

The Town of Webster handles most of what residents think of as local government:

• Police: The Webster Police Department, a state-accredited department based at 1000 Ridge Road, covers both the town and the village. There is no separate village police force.
• Highway: Road maintenance and snow removal for roads outside the village boundary (outside of county roads which are a separate entity).
• Parks and recreation: Town-run programs and facilities.
• Assessment: The Town Assessor runs the single property assessment roll used by both governments. If you own property in the village, the town values it.
• Planning and zoning: The Town Planning Board and Town Zoning Board of Appeals handle land use for the roughly 33 square miles outside the village.
• Courts, library, finance, animal control, engineering, receiver of taxes.

Town Hall is at 1000 Ridge Road. Phone: (585) 872-1000.

The Village of Webster layers additional services onto the 2.2-square-mile footprint:

• Water: Supplied by Monroe County Water Authority; the village manages local distribution infrastructure.
• Sewer: The village operates its own Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Building department: Permits and code enforcement within village limits.
• Public works: Street maintenance and snow removal inside the village boundary. The same street can change jurisdictions at the village line.
• Zoning (independent): The Village Zoning Board of Appeals operates entirely separately from the town's ZBA, under NYS Village Law. A property inside the village goes to the Village Building Department and the Village ZBA. A property one block outside the village boundary goes to the Town's Community Planning and Development office. Same ZIP code, different rules, different offices, different addresses.

Village Hall is at 28 West Main Street. Phone: (585) 265-3770.

The tax math

Village residents pay property taxes to both governments. The village does not replace the town tax; it adds to it. The village levies its own tax rate on top of the town's, using the same assessment roll the Town Assessor produces. In the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the village tax rate is approximately $2.12 per $1,000 of assessed value, layered on top of the town rate.

There is a wrinkle coming. The Town has not conducted a full reassessment since 2004. Assessed values across Webster are at roughly 48 percent of market value, making Webster the most underassessed suburb in Monroe County. A full reassessment is underway, with preliminary numbers expected in February or March 2027. When those numbers arrive, they will affect both the town tax bill and the village tax bill for village residents, since both bills draw from the same assessment roll.

Who you elect, and when

Webster residents vote in up to three separate election events per year, depending on where they live.

If you live in the village, your electoral calendar looks like this:

• May (annually): Webster Central School District Board of Education. Seven members, three-year rotating terms.
• June (village offices): Village Mayor and four Village Trustees. Next village election: June 16, 2026. NYS Village Law defaults are two years for both mayor and trustees, though a village may adopt longer terms by local law. (Webster Village has not been confirmed to have varied this default; verify with Village Hall at (585) 265-3770 if terms appear longer on the ballot.)
• November (even years): Town Supervisor, Town Councilmembers, Town Clerk, Town Justices.

If you live in the town but outside the village, you skip the June village election and participate in May and November only.

The governing bodies and their correct terminology:

• The town is governed by the Town Board, not a town council. The board consists of a Supervisor (the executive role) and four Councilmembers. The current Town Board, seated January 2026: Supervisor Alex Scialdone, Deputy Supervisor Nick Hunter, and Councilmembers John Cahill, Jennifer Wright, and Garrett Wagner.
• The village is governed by a Board of Trustees, not a village council. The board consists of a Mayor and four Trustees. The current Village Board: Mayor Darrell Byerts, Deputy Mayor Jerry Ippolito Jr., and Trustees Al Balcaen, Karl Laurer, and Michael Morency.

Note on town election timing: A 2023 New York State law shifted Monroe County town elections to even-numbered years. The officials elected in November 2025 serve shortened terms to complete this transition. Going forward, town offices will be contested in November alongside state and federal races. The village election schedule is not affected by this change; the June timing remains.

The third layer: Webster Central School District

The school district is neither part of the town government nor part of the village government. Webster Central School District (WCSD) is an independent governmental entity with its own elected Board of Education, its own annual budget vote (held in May), and its own geographic boundary, which does not match either the town or the village. The district extends into parts of Penfield, Ontario, and Walworth.

This means the same property tax bill can reflect four separate taxing entities: the town, the village (if you are in the village), the school district, and a fire district. Two volunteer fire districts serve the town: West Webster Fire District on the west side, and North East Joint Fire District on the east side, which includes the village. Fire districts are independent special districts, not departments of either the town or village government.

The practical upshot

The distinction between town and village matters in concrete, day-to-day ways.

Zoning questions: If your property is inside the village, contact the Village Building Department at Village Hall. If it is outside the village, contact the Town's Community Planning and Development office at Town Hall. Same ZIP code, but two different offices, two different sets of regulations, and two different decision-making bodies.

Confused about a tax bill? Both your town and village bills are based on the same Town Assessor valuation. If you think your assessment is wrong, your point of contact is the Town Assessor's office, regardless of whether you live in the village.

Missing a vote? If you live in the village, you have three separate election events: May for schools, June for village offices, and November (even years) for town offices. All three are distinct, held at different times under different rules.

AI tools were used in drafting and research.