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Board holds public hearings on fire-protection contracts; officials say only district residents pay
Summary
The board opened two public hearings on contracts to have neighboring villages provide fire protection for unincorporated town districts — Chauncey ($11,049.19) and South Ardsley ($354,576.93) — and clarified that costs are borne by the residents within each protection district; both hearings were left open for seven days.
The Town of Greenberg opened two public hearings on contracts that authorize nearby villages to provide fire protection services to unincorporated residents in town protection districts.
The first hearing concerned an agreement with the Village of Ardsley to provide services for the Chauncey Fire Protection District for 2023 at a cost not to exceed $11,049.19. Town staff and a council liaison explained the contract and repeatedly stated that only residents who live in the Chauncey district pay for that district’s services and that the town acts as the contracting body because the unincorporated area lacks its own taxing authority. The board left the record open for seven days.
A resident asked for clearer agenda language that explicitly states who will pay and requested more transparency about assessment boundaries. The resident also questioned why similar contracts for village volunteer fire departments appear on town agendas rather than only in village meetings. A town official replied that the village cannot contract unilaterally for residents in unincorporated Greenberg and that the town acts on behalf of those residents.
The second hearing covered a contract for the South Ardsley Fire Protection District at a cost not to exceed $354,576.93 for 2023. Officials again emphasized that related expenses are paid by residents of the specific district; the board closed the hearing and left the record open for seven days.
Speakers urged greater clarity in future resolutions so residents can quickly see whether a contract affects their property tax assessment. Several commenters pressed the board to consider longer-term consolidation of fire services to achieve efficiencies; board members said consolidation has been discussed in the past but would require resident support and is not something the town can force.
No final approvals of the contracts were recorded at the hearing; both public hearings were closed with the record left open for seven days for additional comments.
