HomeMy WebLinkAboutfire district evfc_0004Change in operating
Enfield fire department
needs substantiation
On Tuesday, May 1, the Town of
Enfield will hold a public hearing on
the issue of approval to form a fire
district within the Town of Enfield.
Allegedly this action would take the
issue of fire tax out of the political
arena by placing a spending "cap"
(based on the full assessed eval-
uation of the town) on fire depart-
ment expenditures, unless addi-
tional expenditures are approved by
general referendum.
It is my understanding that the
current spending cap would well
exceed both the amount requested
by the fire department last year and
the amount ultimately approved by
the town board. It is my conclusion
that the taxpayers would be better
off if the present contractual rela-
tionship with the fire department is
continued with recognition of the
future fire department needs and
with a realistic estimate of actual
operating costs.
The Trumansburg school referen-
dum demonstrates what would prob-
ably occur regarding any additional
capital expenditures the fire depart-
ment might want to make. And
surely, the taxpayers will lose con-
trol if authority to decide other
matters is transferred to a Board of
Fire Commissioners.
If the public is unsure of the facts
at the time of the public hearing, the
town board should be requested to
provide information regarding the
current tax rates and the tax rates
before becoming fire districts of the
municipalities in Tompkins County
that are now fire districts:
Brooktondale, Danby, Lansing,
McLean, and Slaterville.
Also, the Enfield Town Board
should provide a comparison of the
current tax rates for Enfield com-
pared to the estimated tax rate for
the proposed fire district, to sub-
stantiate how such a change would
be in the "best interest" of the
taxpaying public.
Mamie Kirchgessner
Enfield