By Justin Sullivan
The Town of Alden will once again renegotiate their fire contracts with fire companies servicing the town.
During the town’s August 2 meeting, the town announced a public hearing on the contract renegotiations will take place on August 16 at 11 am.
The scheduling of this early-morning meeting was criticized during the August 2 meeting – specifically by Brett Sitzman. Sitzman asked the board to reconsider holding the public hearing in the middle of a workday.
“If you vote to leave the time at 11 am, the perception is that you are intentionally trying to suppress attendance,” Sitzman said. “And I sincerely hope that is not the case.”
Last year, a public hearing on fire contract negotiations brought in over 100 residents after the town sought to end their contract with the Village of Alden Fire Department. The village’s fire department is run by volunteers at the Alden Hook & Ladder Fire Department.
One of the town board’s main concerns, then and now, is that they say the town taxpayers are largely subsidizing the Village of Alden for fire protection that only impacts a portion of the town surrounding the village.
Supervisor Dean Adamski said the town is prepared to sign contracts with the three remaining fire districts – Millgrove, Crittenden and Townline with minor changes. However, he says the town has not received the proper information from the village to continue the negotiation process.
Town to Hold Public Hearing on Fire Contracts
