05/27/2025
OPEN to the PUBLIC: Tonight at 7pm in the firehouse on HWD/ N. Putt there will be a FD Member themed discussion on the Proposed Gov Reorg Plan for New Paltz
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(Please watch this space for the next few months as we’ll be taking a deeper dive into various reasons to explain why New Paltz should move to a single local government board, instead of two boards of elected officials.)
CURRENTLY IN THE VILLAGE OF NEW PALTZ
The Village Fire Department provides fire service in the Village through a relationship with NPFD, Inc., a non-profit fire company. The Village government owns the trucks, equipment, and firehouse facility located on the fire company’s land at HWD & N. Putt, through a 99 year lease.
CURRENTLY FOR THE TOWN OF NEW PALTZ
In NYS, Towns, unlike Villages, cannot operate municipal fire departments. For the area in the Town outside Village, fire protection services are provided by the Village Fire Department using the Town Board created Fire Protection District (per NYS Town Law Article 11 §170).
The Town created the New Paltz Fire Protection District as an administrative unit of Town government for the purpose of providing and taxing for fire protection services. Services are currently provided through an annual agreement between the Town and Village governments.
The annual operating cost is shared between the Village and the Town based on the proportional share of the previous year’s calls for: Town outside Village, Village, SUNY NP, Mutual Aid calls, and Thruway. Town costs include the Thruway and the Village’s include SUNY New Paltz. Mutual Aid calls are split.
Then the Village invoices the Town and waits to get reimbursed. The 2024/2025 operating budget for the Fire Department totaled $514,103 exclusive of firehouse construction debt. This includes an office assistant, equipment, contractual costs, the annual provision for the department's reserve fund, and the Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) – a retirement investment reserve for volunteer firefighters.
PROPOSED
Change nothing from a delivery of services perspective for firefighters or the community. Continue to use the Town Board created Fire Protection District (per NYS Town Law Article 11 §170) BUT redefine its boundaries to add the Village to the Town outside Village coverage area.
The Village layer of admin would go away. The Town would then contract directly with the fire co. for fire protection services and management of the new larger protection district, including budgetary controls, financial reporting to NYS, and taxing properties within the protection district. The Town would own the trucks, equipment, and firehouse, via the same 99 year lease of the fire co. property at HWD & N. Putt.
FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT OR FIRE DISTRICT
Towns are only authorized to provide fire protection services either through the creation of:
1) Fire Protection Districts, 2) Fire Districts, or 3) a combination of both.
Our community has previously considered and analyzed the feasibility of establishing a Fire District. New Paltz may wish to revisit this idea in the future. Fire Districts involve significant policy, taxing, operational, and logistical considerations and numerous implementation steps that would be difficult to operationalize as part of this proposed Town/Village government reorg.
