Potential budget detailed for Albion Joint Fire District with spending going from $350K to $750K

Fire Department soon faces replacement of 2 fire trucks at cost topping $3 million

Photos by Tom Rivers: Paul Roberts, a resident of Allen Road in Albion, speaks during an informational meeting on Monday about a proposed joint fire district for Albion and Gaines. Roberts asked if the village intends to keep the fire hall and lease it to the district. Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley said the fire hall would be available to the fire district likely for free or for a dollar. The village wants to keep the building because it is the only village-owned building along the canal and the property could be valuable if the fire district chooses to build a new fire hall in the future. 

ALBION – The public was given a breakdown of an anticipated budget for a joint fire district serving Albion and Gaines, with the expenses expected to go from about $350,000 currently for the Albion Fire Department to $750,000 for a fire district.

Those numbers have been sought by many community members, including people who pushed for a petition to put the district up to a public vote. That referendum will be from noon to 8 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Hoag Library. Registered voters in the towns of Albion and Gaines will be eligible to cast a ballot.

During an April 24 public hearing on the district, residents could ask questions on the district, but no answers were provided which bothered many in the crowd. The fire department leaders followed the advice of an attorney to not answer questions, and Deputy Chief John Papponetti said during Monday’s meeting that he would have preferred to respond to the questions back on April 24.

Richard DeCarlo Jr., co-owner of Heritage Estates mobile home park, said the lack of responses from the fire department and elected officials at the hearing gave off an air of secrecy and made many distrustful of the people pushing the district.

That then fueled the effort to get petitions to force a referendum on the issue.

But after Deputy Fire Chief John Papponetti spent an hour going over an outline of the fire district budget, DeCarlo said he felt more comfortable with the fire district.

(Left) Resident Jason Dragon said village residents have paid more than their share of the fire department budget for years, especially when the Town of Gaines was given a big discount. Up until 2016, Gaines was paying the village $33,860 for fire protection. That amount is now $120,422 for 2024, about a third of the department’s $350,000 budget. The Town of Albion and village each pay about a third. (Right) Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley said major expenses for the fire department will be too much for village property owners to bear. She favors a fire district to spread out the costs among the towns of Albion and Gaines. The village is ins parts of the two towns.

During the informational meeting on Monday the library, Papponetti went over an anticipated budget for the fire district, spending an hour going line item by line item. If the district is approved in the referendum, five fire commissioners would be appointed (two by the Gaines Town Board, two by the Albion Town Board, and one by the Village Board). The commissioners would ultimately set the budget, and numbers presented by Papponetti could change, he said.

“The commissioners will finalize the budget,” Papponetti said. “This is what we feel we need to move forward.”

DeCarlo said the community should know who is expected to be appointed as fire commissioners if the fire district goes through. The five commissioners would serve about five or six months before there would be an election in December.

Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley said she would push for a diverse board of commissioners, and not just five with ties to the fire department. She wants the fire department to have the resources it needs to serve the community, but Riley said it can’t be “spend, spend, spend.”

The fire district budget outline includes an apparatus reserve fund at $315,000 a year. That fund would cover anticipated payments for two new 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.

The fire department in the district budget also suggested reserve funds with $75,000 annually towards the fire station, $50,000 annually towards a land purchase, $20,000 annually in an equipment reserves, and $10,000 annually towards air packs.

The total spending for reserve funds would be $470,000 under the budget plan.

Richard DeCarlo, a co-owner of Heritage Estates mobile home park, said he appreciated all of the budget details provided on Monday for the fire district. DeCarlo said the budget may not provide enough in reserves to replace the aging equipment and facility for the fire department.

While the fire department needs to soon get the process started for replacing two of the older fire trucks, Papponetti said a new fire station is less urgent.

“It is not our intent right now,” Papponetti said about a new fire hall. “That’s a down, down, down the road scenario.”

The fire department has been part of the village budget, and many of its expenses were somewhat hidden in the village budget, Papponetti said. For example, the department could use the village mechanic who is a DPW employee. It could use village office supplies, and its electric and utilities were part of the bill for the village office.

The district needs to break out every service in its own budget, from cleaning expenses, legal services, to paying a mechanic, accountant, treasurer and supplying its own office materials. That has resulted in a budget line for “professional services” going from 0 in recent budgets through the village to $40,000 as a fire district.

“Parts and Repairs” which were in the village DPW budget goes from 0 last year for the fire department to $30,000.

Papponetti and fire department leaders also would like 10,000 budgeted for training (currently 0) and $15,000 for recruitment and retention (currently 0).

Village attorney John Gavenda said the village would be in a bind if the fire district fails in a public vote on Aug. 6. The fire department should soon start the process of replacing two old fire trucks, but the village doesn’t want to be stuck with the debt on those trucks. Gavenda is advising the village not to move forward with purchasing new fire apparatus until there is a fire district and the costs can be shared by the towns of Albion and Gaines.

The outline of the fire district budget also would double fire prevention efforts for students and community members from $750 to $1,500.

There is an increase almost across the board for many of the line items, from tires, cleaning supplies, hoses, air packs, insurance and gas.

After the budget presentation, Papponetti and Village Board members took questions for another hour. There is another informational meeting at 6 p.m. on June 17 at Hoag Library.

The biggest factor in the dramatic rise in costs: establishing reserve funds for fire trucks.

The fire department has a roster of 40 to 50 members. One set of turnout gear can cost $5,000. Papponetti said the department has been buying three sets each year but would like to go to five sets to replace aging gear and have new gear for new members. Buying five sets a year would allow the department to get in a schedule where every 10 years the gear is replaced.

With the current fire department budget of about $350,000, the two towns pay a fire contract to the village for fire protection. With a $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 budget doesn’t include any reserves. Any money for reserves would have been added to the village’s share of the budget, which is likely why no money has been set aside over the years for equipment and apparatus.

DeCarlo said he is concerned the dollar amounts for the reserves may not be enough, and the budget could see a significant increase in the future beyond the $750,000.

Deputy Mayor Riley said the reserve funds “are a start.” The Village Board favors the fire district, she said, partly because of the big costs coming with the debt payments for the two new fire trucks. Riley has been a village trustee for two years. She wishes there had been money saved for the fire trucks.

“My biggest concern on this board is we didn’t even have $5 set aside,” she said during the meeting which was attended by about 40 people.

Jim Tabor of Carlton is a sales rep for Firematic Supply Company, working with fire departments and districts in eight Western New York counties. He said the cost of new fire trucks is up 65 percent since 2020. Manufacturers are dealing with a shortage of parts and labor, while the orders keep coming in.

Fire trucks used to have a 9-month turnaround from when they were ordered to when they were delivered. Now it may be three years or longer, Tabor said.

Village attorney John Gavenda said he is concerned about that time frame. The fire department should begin the process of replacing at least two fire trucks. But Gavenda said he doesn’t want the village to incur the debt for the trucks. That debt can’t be passed to a fire district.

The town contracts have about two more years on them. If the fire district fails in the referendum, the town contracts will need to be renegotiated at a much higher amount to help pay the bond payments on the fire trucks.

“The village can’t assume $3 million in debt for apparatus,” Riley said.

Gavenda said the fire district really doesn’t change much with the fire protection for the community.

“The firemen are still from the Town of Gaines, the Town of Albion and the Village of Albion,” Gavenda said.

Deputy Fire Chief John Papponetti, right, goes over budget numbers for a joint fire district serving Albion and Gaines. From left is Fire Chief Jeremy Graham and Village Trustee Tim McMurray.