Kevin P. Gaughan is confident that Hamburg voters will approve downsizing their Town Board next Tuesday, despite the grilling he got from residents Monday night in Hamburg Middle School.

He was met with questions such as, “Of all the offices you have run for, how many of those are you proposing to downsize?” and, “Where do you get your funding?”

Monday’s session, which attracted about 100 residents, also featured presentations by Supervisor Steven J. Walters; Kathryn A. Foster, director of the Regional Institute at the University at Buffalo; Craig R. Bucki, an attorney with Phillips Lytle who has written articles on regionalism; and Michael Kenneally of the State Association of Towns.

Kenneally said there are questions on how a three-member board would operate, particularly with voting on bonding and some zoning issues, which require approval from two-thirds of the board as part of checks and balances.

Foster said there are trade-offs involved with downsizing, such as overall population and cost of the board members versus the scope of government. She said savings from eliminating two board members amount to a small fraction of the total cost of government.

Gaughan said that thousands of jobs have been lost and that thousands of Western New Yorkers have moved away in recent decades. By reducing each board in Erie County, residents could save money and make the area more attractive for businesses to move back, he said.

“What does any of that have to do with whether the Hamburg Town Board has three or five members?” Bucki said. “These are all red herrings.”

But Gaughan said voting to downsize would save money and would show that residents are ready for change.

Hamburg has consolidated departments and special districts, its population is growing slightly, and it is spending less, Walters said, adding he does not want to be one of only three town decisionmakers.

Residents will vote from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m. next Tuesday in their regular polling places, with two exceptions. Districts 27, 28 and 29 will vote at Cloverbank Elementary rather than the Frontier Educational Center, and Districts 42 and 43 at the Community Center on Prospect Avenue instead of Charlotte Avenue School.