The Utica Observer -Dispatch reports - “The state Senate Thursday passed a bill that would allow towns to merge into one court facility, Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, announced in a statement.

“In rural areas, where town courts may have very few cases, and where there is a lack of candidates to run for office, it simply makes sense to combine and have one town court that serves several communities, rather than try to make a structure work that no longer fits the reality of our communities,” Griffo wrote.

The bill will be delivered to the state Assembly for consideration.

Griffo said the issue came to his attention while working with constituents in the Lewis County towns of Harrisburg, Montague and Pinckney, which have a total combined population of 850.

Located in an area totaling 146.3 square miles, court volume in the towns fluctuates seasonally based upon recreational usage by outside visitors.”