Joint Fire District
Questions And Answers
What is a Joint Fire District
Why Form a Fire District
Proposed Fire District Budget
Procedure For Forming A Fire District
Chapter 12 Question's And Answers
Legal Letters
Draft Legal Questions
Background: The Village of Champlain currenly owns
and operates a municipal Fire Department. Firefighting and EMS are
provided by the volunteer members of Niagara Hose Company. The Village
also provides fire protection to a Town of Champlain fire protection
district by contract with the Town of Champlain.
Legal Questions:
I. TRANSITION FROM MUNICIPAL
FIRE DEPARTMENT TO INDEPENDENT FIRE DEPARTMENT
| 1) |
Can the Village of Champlain fulfill its obligations
to provide fire protection for its residents by forming a fire
protection district and signing a contract with an independent
fire department for fire and EMS protection? |
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| 2) |
Can the Village divest itself of its fire department
and allow the members of Niagara Hose to create an independent
fire department with the former assets and debts of the municipal
department? |
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| 3) |
What legal conditions/restrictions would apply
to this process? |
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| 4) |
Could the independent fire department sign a contract
with the Town of Champlain to continue to provide protection
for the town fire protection district? |
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| 5) |
Could the Independent Fire Department choose to
charge each municipality based upon assessed value of property
protected? |
II. VILLAGE FIRE DISTIRCT
| 1) |
Could the Village of Champlain establish a fire
district with a Board of Commissioners for the Village only? |
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| 2) |
Could that district agree to provide coverage
to the Town of Champlain Fire Protection District through a contract
;vith the Town of Champlain? |
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| 3) |
Could the contract be based on percentage of assessed
value of total property covered? |
III. JOINT FIRE DISTRICT
| 1) |
If the Village of Champlain and Town of Champlain
agreed to form a joint fire district after the initial appointments
could commissioners be appointed rather than elected? |
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| 2) |
Are there legal restrictions as to how Village
Fire Department assets are transferred to the new district? |
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| 3) |
Could the new Fire District assume the current
debt of the Volunteer Fire Department? |
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| 4) |
As a Village considering this option, are there
any other legal restrictions or implications in this process
(other than how to actually form the distnct in conjunction with
the Town) that we should be aware of? |
Wein, Young, Fenton & Kelsy,
P.C. Letter February 8, 1999
Wein, Young, Fenton & Kelsy,
P.C. Letter April 29, 1999
Opinions of the State Comptroller #98-9
Opinions of the Attorney General #192-16, 192-17
Fire district affairs December 1998
Fire Dept Assets (Vehicles Only)
Equipment # 142
Equipment # 143
Equipment # 144
Equipment # 145
Equipment # 146
Equipment # 147
Village Fire Dept. Expenditures
Town fire Protection Contract Amounts
Village Fire Dept. Spending and tax analysis
Village & Town Taxable Values
Fire & EMS Breakdown 1998
Fire & EMS Breakdown 1997
Village Fire Dept. Debt
Heavy Rescue Truck Purchase Information
Village Fire Expenditures
1999-2000
1998-1999
1997-1998
1996-1997
1995-1996
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