Albion and Gaines vote on joint fire district on Tuesday

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Albion fire hall on North Platt Street is shown in April during an open house and recruitment effort for the Albion Fire Department.

ALBION – Voters in the towns of Albion and Gaines will decide on Tuesday whether a joint fire district will be created to oversee fire protection in the two towns, which also include the village of Albion.

The Village Board and the town Town Boards voted to create the fire district, but a referendum was forced after enough petitions were turned in to bring the issue to a public vote.

Both Albion and Gaines will vote from noon to 8 p.m. at Hoag Library, 134 South Main St.

Voters will be asked whether a joint fire district encompassing the village and the two towns shall be approved.

The elected officials for the two towns and village support the joint fire district, which would take the fire department out of the village budget. The two towns currently pay the village a fire protection contract.

With the current $350,000 budget, the village pays $113,456 (32 percent), the Town of Gaines contributes $120,422 (35 percent) and the Town of Albion pays $116,122 (33 percent).

The fire district would have its own commissioners to oversee and manage fire protection, and set the budget.

Albion Fire Department officials say the fire department’s current budget of $350,000 is far too short. The department has advised the budget will need to be increased to about $750,000.

The culprit for a bigger budget is the need to soon replace two fire trucks: a ladder truck and an engine.

A new ladder truck (to replace one that is 27 years old) is expected to cost $2.2 million. It would likely be bonded over 20 years at a 7 percent interest rate with an annual payment of $208,000.

A new fire engine (to replace one 32 years old) would likely have a purchase price of $1.1 million. It would be bonded over 20 years with an annual payment of $104,000 a year.

Albion Fire Department officials said the budget needs to increase for the new trucks and equipment whether there is a fire district or if the department remains in the village budget with the towns paying the village in a fire protection contract.

The local officials favor having the board of commissioners to focus solely on the fire protection needs, and also spread out the budget fairly over the tax base in the municipalities.

Holley and Fancher-Hulberton-Murray have formed a joint fire district, and Lyndonville also recently moved to a fire district, taking the fire department out of the village budget.