Should New Hartford redraw its fire districts?
By
ELIZABETH COOPER Posted Jun 09,
2010 @ 06:24 PM Last update Jun
09, 2010 @ 07:12 PM NEW
One Town Board member is calling for changes
to the way New Hartford’s fire districts are drawn. Board member Don Backman, who represents the
area covered by the Willowvale Fire Co., pointed out that residents of that
fire district are paying three times as much as those in the town’s other fire
districts. “I believe it’s time for a top-down look, and
perhaps an overhaul,” he said. If New Hartford’s districts were redrawn and
Willowvale’s area became larger, Backman said, more taxpayers would be
supporting the department and their costs would go down. Also, he said he believes there may be
locations now covered by the neighboring New Hartford Volunteer Fire Department
that Willowvale could get to faster. But Town Suspervisor Patrick Tyksinski said
it’s unlikely the town would undertake such a process now. “I think it would be difficult, if not
impossible that we’d do that, to be honest,” he said. It could be expensive for the cash-strapped
town to undertake the studies necessary, he said. And if costs go down for some, they would
certainly go up for others, he said. “The problem is, you bring down the
Willowvale rate and bring the other rates up,” he said. Proposed changes to fire districts in
Whitestown have drawn staunch opposition from fire departments that stand to
lose territory. By the numbers Homes and businesses in the Town of
The small, privately owned WillowvaleFire Co.
is charging $2.68 per $1,000 of assessed property value, while the New Hartford
and New York Mills volunteer fire companies are charging between 70 cents and
87 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Residents who live in the villages of New
Hartford and New York Mills don't pay a separate fire district fee at all,
because the charge is folded into their village taxes. Population isn’t the only reason Willowvale’s
rates are higher. The district is smaller than the areas
covered by New York Mills and New Hartford, so there are fewer people to share
the burden of the department's $391,456 budget. But it is also paying off $1.5 million in
borrowing for the construction of a new building for the company. Fire district
voters approved this measure more than five years ago. And the department has instituted a
retirement incentive designed to attract and keep volunteers. Annual cost:
About $65,000 per year. ‘A big issue’ Two fire chiefs from departments within the
town say they don’t think it’s necessary to redraw the districts. “It’s a big issue with a lot of factors and
it is not as easy as sometimes people would like to think,” said New Hartford
Fire Chief Tom Bolanowski. He said fire departments were staffed,
trained and had purchased equipment based on the unique needs of their
districts. He also said he didn’t know whether
Willowvale could get to some places in his district than his department. “I’d have to look into it more,” he said. New York Mills Fire Chief Robert Glenn said
he and the New Hartford Fire Department, which both cover portions of the busy
“New Glenn has vehemently opposed changes to areas
his department covers in Whitestown. Willowvale Fire Chief William Hughes could
not be reached for comment. ‘Homework’ needed New Hartford Town Board member Christine
Krupa said there would need to be a detailed study of response times before she
would accept any changes to the district. “You can’t just redistrict something without
doing your homework first,” she said. Also, she said that Willowvale district
voters have approved the district’s plan to built the new firehouse. Board member Rich Woodland Jr. also expressed
reservations. “I think you can always look, but at the same
time, it could significantly affect some of the other districts,” he said. Board member David Reynolds could not be
reached. |
