DeWitt board votes to dissolve East Syracuse Fire Protection District and expand DeWitt district amid strong public opposition

The Town of DeWitt Board voted on motions to dissolve the East Syracuse Fire Protection District and expand the DeWitt Fire District into the former district after a public hearing that drew multiple residents, firefighters and elected officials.

The board approved a motion to dissolve the East Syracuse Fire Protection District, moved by Carrie and seconded by Jack Dooling, and then approved a motion to expand the DeWitt Fire Protection District into that former territory. Both motions were carried by the board during the meeting.

The hearing drew dozens of speakers who urged the board either to halt the consolidation or to put the matter to a public vote. “If this is such a good deal, put it up to a vote to see if the majority of the people agree with you, or are you afraid?” said Karen, a resident during public comment. Other residents pressed the board on projected tax impacts, equipment inventories and whether local volunteer companies would be supplanted by paid staffing.

Board member Jack Dooling, who also described a recent house alarm response, said DeWitt firefighters arrived quickly: “In 4 minutes, the DeWitt fire department responded.” That personal account was cited by board members who said professional staffing would provide consistent coverage.

Dan Romeo, who identified himself as the county representative for much of DeWitt’s northern area, urged the board to delay a final decision and gather more information. “Please wait, take the time, make the right decision,” Romeo said.

Residents cited specific financial figures during public comment, including a village request that the town said arrived last fall for roughly an $800,000 increase and a stated $270,000 annual bond payment for Station 2. The town presented comparative tax-rate estimates during the hearing, saying a proposed special-tax arrangement tied to a fire district would keep a Northtown residential rate below certain higher levels that residents feared.

Several speakers also questioned the outreach and transparency of the process. Legal counsel for the town addressed one frequent request from the public—whether the decision could be put to a binding referendum—and said the law does not give the town a mechanism to bind the outcome through a public vote. “When the law does not provide the right for members of the public to petition for a vote, or does not require a vote, the law specifically prohibits a town board from being able to hold a vote,” the attorney said.

During the public comment period, East Syracuse Fire Chief Paul Ains and multiple volunteers and residents described long histories of local volunteer service and worry about losing community-based response. Other speakers from the northern district raised concerns about coverage of industrial and hotel areas in northern DeWitt and whether a consolidated footprint would leave gaps in apparatus or manpower during simultaneous incidents.

The board framed the consolidation as a response to long-term volunteer shortages that, board members said, have reduced the village’s capacity to staff Station 2 and have driven the village toward more paid staffing. The town presented response-time comparisons and an ISO rating for the DeWitt department as part of its rationale.

The board closed the public hearing and voted that evening. The motions recorded at the meeting: dissolution of the East Syracuse Fire Protection District and expansion of the DeWitt Fire Protection District into the former territory. No formal public referendum will follow the board vote, per the legal explanation given during the meeting.

The action transfers governance of the former East Syracuse Fire Protection District territory to the DeWitt Fire District and enables the fire district to pursue a special-tax zone that the town says will help hold the resident tax rate in Northtown at lower levels than a continued contract with the village would have. Implementation details, including final tax calculations, equipment purchases and staffing plans, were discussed but several residents said the specifics remain unclear and asked for additional accounting and auditing details.

The board did not provide a detailed vote tally with individual roll-call votes in the public meeting record; the motion language, movers and seconds were recorded during the meeting minutes and the motions were announced as carried.

The board closed the public hearing and moved to an executive session after the vote; no additional public actions were announced at the meeting’s close.

Ending: The town’s decision begins a transition of fire protection governance and funding for the affected northern territory. Residents and business owners who spoke at the hearing said they plan to follow implementation steps closely and pressed the town for ongoing accounting, audits and clearer projections of tax effects and service levels.