Grand Island: Fire District is hot topic

Plan would ‘get town out of fire business’

By Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

The Grand Island Fire Co. wants to form a Fire District that would transfer the responsibility of fire protection from the town to the fire company.

Currently, the town operates the fire company under a Fire Protection District. That type of district empowers the town to collect taxes for the fire company and it entails potential liability for the town when the fire company is on duty.

At a public hearing that topped Monday’s Town Board agenda, members of the fire company and town residents discussed the pros and cons of making the switch.

The Town Board ultimately voted to refer the proposal back to the board for further study to resolve questions that had been raised in the public hearing.

Deputy Town Supervisor Tom Digati said, “We just need to make sure this information is out there and it’s accurate.”

Mark Butler, legal counsel for Grand Island’s volunteer fire company, made the case for the formation of the fire district, on behalf of the fire company. A key aspect he emphasized is his belief that a fire district can reduce the cost of needed firefighting equipment.

“The fire company is a political subdivision of the state of New York, just like the town is.” With a new fire district, “the town gets out of the fire business, gets out of EMS, gets out of dispatch, and it’s assigned to a single-purpose entity – the fire district,” he said.

“The fire district develops a budget and taxes for that,” Butler said.

The Office of the New York State Comptroller puts it this way: “Generally, a fire district can levy taxes and incur debt without approval from any other governmental entity.”

“It is responsible for adopting an annual budget – subject to certain expenditure limitations – after a public hearing.”

The comptroller’s office also states: “The town board cannot change a fire district budget.”

Butler explained how the new Fire District would operate. There would be five unpaid fire commissioners who are initially appointed by the Town Board “and thereafter publicly elected for five-year terms, with staggered terms initially.”

The fire district would have two main administrative officers, also unpaid: a secretary, who would act as a town clerk does for a municipality, and a treasurer, who would be akin to a comptroller.

Butler said that cost of fire apparatus has skyrocketed in the past two years after COVID.

He stressed the financial advantages of a fire district over that of a town-led Fire Protection District. He gave as an example a first-line pumper that would have cost $450,000 to $500,000 now would cost $900,000 to $1 million.

When the town has to finance equipment purchases for the fire company, it has a special commercial rate that’s recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as tax-exempt.

“However, that doesn’t go anywhere near the savings involved if the fire district would be able to finance using municipal bonding for that purpose,” Butler said. “Municipal bonding and other financing by a fire district requires mandatory voter approval. So, if there’s concerns that a new fire district would go out and borrow wildly, that simply can’t be the case without any voter oversight and ultimately approval.”

Butler said that, in a recent large apparatus purchase, the town was able to borrow at a rate of 4% interest. At the time of that purchase, he said, municipal bonding was below 1%.

He added, “The fire department leadership has worked hard over the past 18 months to two years developing a proposed budget to illustrate the enormous expense and the future costs of assuring fire protection in this community.”

He said the fire company leadership came to the Town Board recommending that “forming a fire district is the best thing for the fire department, the town and its residents and taxpayers that fund this fire district,” Butler said.

Greg Butcher, a 33-year life member of the Grand Island Fire Co., has served as fire chief and chairman of the board.

“The fire company, and in turn the fire district, would continue to serve as one of the economic engines that rises this community through its quality of life to a place that brings people to Grand Island and would more strongly fortify the backbone of the fire (safety), life safety and emergency services for the citizens, visitors and guests that come here,” he said.

Butcher outlined the apparatus needed for fire safety, including engines, rescues, ladders, trucks and boats.

Former council member and current volunteer firefighter Mike Madigan identified some drawbacks he observed in the plan to create a fire district. He said he was speaking as a taxpayer.

“I am not against the concept of a fire district,” Madigan said. “I do have a question about the public hearing. How can we hold a public hearing when significantly inaccurate information has been shared with the public regarding the increase that the taxpayers will pay? The information posted suggested a 29% increase in what taxpayers will pay, when, in fact, the increase is 70%. Every $1 you are paying today for fire protection will be increased to $1.70 under the proposed plan.”

Madigan said he has two other concerns: “Buildings and property were paid for primarily by taxpayers. It is my opinion that the proposed gifting of them to the volunteer fire department, who will then charge the taxpayers well over $200,000 per year to lease them, is a concern. I would like to hear several different legal opinions on whether that is appropriate. I would also like to know if any other fire district in Western New York has done anything similar.”

“Second concern is in 911 dispatch – major increase in cost in the proposed budget as far as 911 dispatch. Other options were not considered. I would like to see a full assessment done regarding shared services between other dispatches and/or Erie County that may actually result in cost savings, not the currently proposed significant increase impacting our taxpayers.”

Madigan said he is proud of his fellow volunteer firefighters. He would like additional work to be done on the proposal and a new public hearing scheduled.

Resident Cathy Rayhill said she favors bringing the idea of forming a fire district to a public referendum “instead of having the four members of the Town Board make a decision for us.”

John Chin said he had concerns about the degree of transparency in the planning process for the proposed fire district.

“I’m not a firefighter. I don’t understand all these matters. But I would like to know and understand what will it cost the taxpayer – and why?” he said.

Chin said when he tried to get a copy of the PowerPoints that were presented to the Town Board workshop, he couldn’t. “I was told there was no obligation to provide such.”

He said the proposal doesn’t give any reference point to what taxpayers are currently paying.

Fifteen speakers commented during the public hearing on the proposed fire district.

More news

In other business, the Town Board:

•Approved two projects to be submitted for possible federal Community Development Block Grant funding: Golden Age Center drainage improvements, and an extension of the linear bike path that runs from Bedell Road to Buckhorn State Park to Sidway Elementary School.

•Reaffirmed a May 20 negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act stating there would be no significant environmental impact from the subdivision at Ransom and Stony Point roads proposed by developer 1441 Ransom Road LLC. The board also gave preliminary plat approval for nine lots in the proposed subdivision, subject to ditches to be piped along Ransom Road frontage lots and appropriate recreation fees to be paid.