WEST SENECA, N.Y. — The West Seneca Town Board is currently made up of three members, but some in town would like to see more people in on the decisions.

Dan Warren heads the Committee to Restore Represenstation in West Seneca.  He's behind a petition to give residents a chance to vote on increasing the town board by adding two more councilmembers for a total of five and the potential for different perspectives.

"A three-member board is just bad governance,l" Warren said. "The whole idea of a democracy is to have representational governement and that too much power is not placed in two few hands."

Voters decided to reduce the size of the board in 2009, with the idea of saving money.  The two current councilmen—William Hanley and Eugene Hart—are currently each paid $21,000/yr. and do not receive benefits. Warren believes any savings has been lost in the decisions of the smaller board.

"It is not sufficient to meet our needs both in oversight and carrying out and enacting policy," Warren says.

The board, which includes Hanley, Hart and Supervisor Sheila Meegan, has faced heavy criticism for several recent issues. They include an 8.6 percent tax increase, and funding fora $15 million library and community center set to open in a few weeks. Warren led a successful petition drive to force a referendum on money the town planned to borrow for the library, but the board then decided on a smaller bond.

"We have done a poor job in telling the residents the accomplishments we've done over the last four years or with the supervisor the last eight years," Hanley said. "We do need to let the residents know how their money is being spent and we are going to do a better job of that going forward."

Both councilmen say they're open to a five member board if that's the will of the voters, but think the current structure works well.

"Unfortunately any five member board can become just as political as any three member board can become," Hart said. :Currently we have chosen to get along, not to say we always agree."

Hanley does agree with Warren that a three-member board causes issues with the Open Meeting Law, because board members are required to call a public meeting when two or more of them discuss town business.

This isn't the first time residents of West Seneca have explored the idea of adding more town board members.  A similar referendum was voted down in 2012, but Warren believes the attitudes and interests of voters might be different this time.

"There are probably more people paying attention to the issues of the town, and are receptive to this type of a message, because things do need to change," he said.

Warren needs about 700 signatures to force a referendum. He hopes to have those in time to put the issue on the ballot for September's primary vote.