Plessis fire district plan due for vote

ALEXANDRIA BAY — The Alexandria Town Council is expected to vote on the Plessis Fire Department's fire district extension proposal at its next meeting.

The council tabled the past two public hearings on the proposal to gather more information and to discuss the matter further.

So will the board have to postpone the public hearing for the third time?

"I'm hoping not," Alexandria town Supervisor Martha M. Millet said.

The council met Wednesday for a workshop in which it discussed the Fire Department's proposal. Ms. Millet said the board has all the information it needs to make a decision at its next meeting Wednesday.

The Fire Department initially approached the town in July to extend its fire district to the town's second election district and increase the district's tax base in order to stay afloat. The first public hearing was held in August.

At the last public hearing, the Fire Department provided a map comparing its current protection area and fire district with the proposed area and district.

The town's second election district's western boundary is Gore Road and Barnes Settlement Road; the northern boundary is Olney Road, Number 6 Road and County Route 192, outside the hamlet of Redwood, and the southern and eastern boundaries follow the town's southern border.

Leslie A. Stanton, the first assistant fire chief, said the Fire Department basically is extending its fire district to its fire protection district boundaries and its coverage does not overlap with other fire departments in the town.

According to town attorney Joseph W. Russell, if the town accepts the proposal, it would shift the responsibility of fire protection of the area from the town to the Plessis Fire Department as a municipal entity.

In other words, the Fire Department, not the town, would be liable for inadequate coverage.

Mr. Stanton said the larger district would not increase the Fire Department's revenues significantly. However, it would allow the department to obtain larger bank loans for equipment when needed.

The total property value of the proposed district would be approximately $41 million, and the department would collect $41,000 a year.

This year, the town paid the fire department $36,000 for its coverage, and the district brings in an additional $4,700 in tax.

The proposed tax rate for the fire district is $1.20 per $1,000 of assessed value, a 12-cent increase.

"My taxes are going to go up, too. I think this is a necessary evil," Mr. Stanton said.

The town used to contract with all four local fire departments — Alexandria Bay, Wellesley Island, Redwood and Plessis — until Redwood broke off last year.

Douglas R. Savage, chairman of the Redwood Fire Department commission, said that department is happy with its decision to extend its district instead of continuing its contract with the town.

"It's better for us," he said. "It allows us to plan our own future."

The town will hold a public hearing on the proposed fire district extension and its 2009 budget at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the municipal building on Old Goose Bay Road.