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Email: "Pact meets opposition at Hanover hearing"
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HANOVER — Tensions were high at the Hanover Town Hall Monday as members of the Sunset Bay Volunteer Fire Company, representatives of the Village of Silver Creek and its fire department, and numerous concerned citizens filled the courtroom for the public hearing on the town’s fire protection contract with the Village of Silver Creek for Fire Protection District 3 (Sunset Bay). Many Sunset Bay residents vehemently opposed the two-year contract for volunteer emergency services — amended from three years, in order to coincide with the term for the other contract with Silver Creek, for Fire Protection District 2 — with a proposed amount of $6,000 for 2010 and $6,300 for 2011. Town Supervisor Katherine Tampio prefaced the public hearing with a statement, explaining the contract — which would be in addition to, not in place of the current town contract with the Sunset Bay Volunteer Fire Department — resulted from extensive discussion with the Village of Silver Creek, Hanover Town Board, members of the Hanover Citizens Advisory Committee and representatives for the Village of Silver Creek Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad. The monetary amount of the contract was based on the number of emergency calls made by the Village of Silver Creek to the Sunset Bay area compared to the total number of calls outside the village, a total of 10 percent. A 5 percent increase per year was included, consistent with other fire protection contracts in the town of Hanover, Tampio said. Based upon current total taxable assessed evaluation in the Sunset Bay fire protection district, raising funds for the proposed $6,000 contact would require 11 cents per thousand — an additional $11 per year for a $100,000 home. If approved, the tax rate for the district would be raised from the 2009 rate of 96 cents per thousand to $1.11 per thousand. Attorney Bradley Pinsky, representing the Sunset Bay Volunteer Fire Company, sent the town a letter prior to the hearing claiming the contract will be illegal according to town law and general municipal law. “This isn’t a back-door thing that we’re trying to do from the Village of Silver Creek or Silver Creek Fire Department emergency squad ... this has been a process ... for the last four years,” Silver Creek Fire Chief Todd Johnson said. “All we’re looking to do is receive a little additional funding from the town of Hanover for the ambulance service. I understand some areas here proposed by District 3, which is very concerning on their part and it should be, because it looks like they’re being slighted and they’re going to foot the bill, and hopefully at this point in time the town board would make the right decision and propose looking into a townwide ambulance district. Which at that point, the village of Forestville and the village of Silver Creek would be funded and supported based upon their certificate of needs that are issued by the New York State Department of Health.” Johnson’s idea for the townwide ambulance district was met with support from several speakers and his comment was met with applause from the audience. Prior discussion of the contract was a point of contention for several speakers, claiming it had not been brought up prior to the hearing, with some suggestions that workshops about the contract should have been held to allow residents to contribute ideas. Joan Berner of the Hanover Planning Board said the contract had not been previously discussed. “Everything with this town comes at the last second,” a resident said, and others asked why the hearing was not held until November, when many Sunset Bay property owners have left the area for the season. Tampio responded these contracts are discussed privately with the fire districts and the November date of the hearing was because it was when the town determines its budget. “This is destroying a very good working relationship between the Village of Silver Creek and Sunset Bay fire departments,” one resident said. County Legislator David Wilder said this was an opportunity to start something new that will ultimately benefit the community. After the hearing, Tampio concluded no action would be taken on the contract at this time — it’s “back to the drawing board.” “We are constrained by town law and general municipal law of the state of New York,” Tampio said. “Certain conditions have to be met. We’ll have to talk with (the Village of Silver Creek), we’ll have to talk with our attorney some more. The idea of the townwide ambulance district has been discussed recently and in the past, but because of the legal status of the village ambulance, it wasn’t possible before. Maybe it is now.” Tampio said the town board will take its time and carefully consider the concerns expressed at the public hearing. “We’ll try to find a way that we can equitably help support the volunteer ambulance because that’s very, very important,” Tampio said. “If you don’t have that, what do you have left? Now you’ve got a paid service and I don’t think anybody in this community wants to see that. It’s a great asset.” When asked how this issue could best be resolved, Johnson responded, “A town-wide ambulance district — it would be the easiest and the fairest for everybody involved.” Services to the communities will not be disrupted, Johnson added. Comments on this article may be sent to adiodato@observertoday.com

 

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