Because of a dispute over payments and contracts between the town and the village, Dungan said the fire departments spending has been restricted and frozen in the past.
Village Mayor Terry Dungan said the fire department’s complaints of the budget freezes are valid and are caused by financial disagreements between the town and the village.Ĭurrently the town and the village each pay about half the cost of the fire department.
Because of disputes between the village and town boards and the numerous budget freezes put in place, the Fire Department’s members have slowly declined from about 70 members to the low 30s. We certainly don’t need an additional unit of government locally.”Īccording to Maguire, the board of fire commisioners is something the fire department needs instead of village government representation. “Many people across our nation are in danger of losing their homes and we see within our own community a growing number of for sale signs posted on the lawns of friends and neighbors. “We are living in the most difficult financial times in the modern history of the United States,” he said. Thomas Nyquist, former mayor of New Paltz, said at the hearing that he is aware of the volunteer firefighters’ needs but forming a joint fire district in today’s economic climate is not the appropriate decision. Once that period has ended, the budget could be raised due to the purchase of new equipment and facilities. However, if the fire district were created, the department, by law, could not increase their budget for two years. The board would also control the fire department’s budget.
So shouldn’t the opinions of all the taxpayers have equal weight in any decisions regarding the fire department? I believe so.” “Some years the village maintains the majority of fire calls and some years the town maintains the majority,” he said. With a board of fire commissioners and the establishment of a fire district, Maguire said the taxpayers would benefit. Maguire said town residents currently have no elected representation on fire service matters since the Village Board of Trustees governs the fire department. Board members would be elected by a vote from both the town and the village, hold five-year terms that would not be compensated and would be required by law to receive standardized training in fire district management within 270 days of taking office. 13 to discuss the creation of a unified fire district, which would encompass all of New Paltz.Īccording to First Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Maguire, who gave a presentation at the hearing, if the district were created, a board of fire commissioners would be given sole responsibility for long-term management of the fire district. The New Paltz Fire Department has recently pushed to become a joint fire district, causing conflict rooted in financial concerns among town and village residents.Īlthough the Village Board of Trustees oversees the operation of the New Paltz Fire Department, both town and village government officials recently met in a public hearing on Sept. Listen to an EXCLUSIVE Radio Story – By Maxim Alter and narrated by Kelli Noshfar Photo by Laura Luengas Photo by Laura Luengas
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