Fire District #2

[dtwarren]

In another group I was asked what I thought about the Budget Hearing for Fire District 2 and the Commissioners apparent (I can only go by what the person described as I was not there) inability to answer certain questions.

I think people are expecting and asking questions of the wrong person. It is the Treasurer who is the chief fiscal officer and is responsible for maintaining complete, accurate and up-to-date accounting records and providing the Board with essential information to effectively monitor the Company’s financial affairs. These reports are an important fiscal tool which provides the Board with information necessary to monitor Company operations and gives other interested parties a summary of the Company’s financial activities. This is in contrast to the Town Board where the Town Supervisor, and member of the Board, is the Chief Fiscal Officer.

I supported the new Fire Hall (I live in the district), I anticipated an increase in the taxes related to the Fire District. This new facility was needed as Union is the 3rd largest fire district. The current fire hall was built in the 1950's, last expanded in 1962, and roof raised in the early 1970's. To put this in perspective Union is the 3rd largest out of 6 for this town. Vigilant in District 6 does not have a new fire house and is proposing levying I believe $660,000 to the taxpayers in their district. In 2017 Union was the 2nd lowest levy of all the fire districts.

Using Lackawanna as a base for a paid fire service it costs Lackawanna for 2017 a total of $4,506,945.00 or $680,807.40/square mile or $252.24/person whereas in the Town of West Seneca as a volunteer service for 2017 $3,609,442.00 or $168,586.74/square mile or $79.39/person. If we extrapolated Lackawanna's cost for what a paid fire service would cost West Seneca we would be paying between $11 Million and $14 million for a paid fire department.

Some people were saying that there was little to no notice for the bonding vote. However the West Seneca Bee ran quite a large story on it in the February 18, 2016 edition. I was just reading it and in that article Commissioner Wassel stated "He said the project will not quite double taxes. The company will also apply for grants once the project has started to alleviate the implication for taxpayers, Wassel said." It turns out he was quite accurate now we are seeing it to be 98% more. http://www.westsenecabee.com/news/20...fire_hall.html

If I felt there was something there to gripe about I would, but I don't because we as voters voted for the new firehouse and its attendant expenses. But Union's budget is pennies compared to the mismanagement of the $60 million dollar budget of the Town. We have people picking on a single line in the district budget that they calculated is a %2000 increase (I did not verify this claim). This is sort of like comparing a penny stock to a blue chip stock on a percentage basis if your stock is 1 cent and it goes to 2 cents that is 100% but if you your stock is $60 and it goes 1 cent up it is only .016%. As Mark Twain is oft attributed saying "there are lies, damn lies, and statistics."

The tax increase to cover a capital improvement in a fire district that needed it and was approved by the voters of that district knowing what it would cost is different from a tax increase to make up past mistakes. The residents of this district voted for this new fire hall, did we get to vote on the Town Board depleting our reserves to the point that a tax increase is needed? Did we get a vote on the new Library/Community Center? No.

Don't allow the incumbents of the Town Board and their supporters misdirect your attention from their situation where they admitted they spent our reserves to nothing to keep the prior years tax increases lower than what they should have been simply to get re-elected.

[jennifer7]

West Seneca has 6 seperate fire districts with 7 stations, 13 Engines, 3 Ladder trucks, 4 Heavy Rescues, 20 ems squads, pick ups & 18 Fire chiefs take home SUVS , 18 Fire Chiefs for a population of 43,000 ? Thats 18 take home SUVs and mostly used for personal use, West Seneca with Population size of 43,000 should be one FD with 4 or 5 Stations and have 3 or 4 Engines, 1 Ladder Truck, 1 Heavy Rescue & 1 Fire Chief Not 18 Fire Chiefs with 18 take home luxury SUV's, Decades & decades of unaccoutabilty and mega times Duplication & waste,

[jennifer7]

West Seneca has 6 seperate fire districts with 7 stations, 13 Engines, 3 Ladder trucks, 4 Heavy Rescues, 20 ems squads, pick ups & 18 Fire chiefs take home SUVS , 18 Fire Chiefs for a population of 43,000 ? Thats 18 take home SUVs and mostly used for personal use, West Seneca with Population size of 43,000 should be one FD with 4 or 5 Stations and have 3 or 4 Engines, 1 Ladder Truck, 1 Heavy Rescue & 1 Fire Chief Not 18 Fire Chiefs with 18 take home luxury SUV's, Decades & decades of unaccoutabilty and mega times Duplication & waste,

Lackawanna has Population of 18,000 and has 3 fire stations 2 Engines & 1 Ladder Truck

[Electric Eye]

Lackawanna has Population of 18,000 and has 3 fire stations 2 Engines & 1 Ladder Truck

Thanks for pointing this out. Unfortunately the majority of the minority that vote, Think more is better! and the District commissioners do all the spending without any votes from the voters in the district.

[jennifer7]

Thanks for pointing this out. Unfortunately the majority of the minority that vote, Think more is better! and the District commissioners do all the spending without any votes from the voters in the district.

I'm hearing many Erie County Vol. FD's are on the verge of going broke. Some FD's have all very new & 10 times duplication apparartus and other FD's haven't purchased a new fire engine in 25 years or 30 years but they always buy brand new luxury loaded take home Tahoe's for their Fire Chiefs, makes you wonder if they haven't purchased a new fire truck in over 25 years, where's all the money been going over the last 25 years ? That's what happens when you have over 100 vol. Kingdom FD's in the County with no accountable, thats why the level of services is below national standards NO ACCOUNTABLE

[jennifer7]

I'm hearing many Erie County Vol. FD's are on the verge of going broke. Some FD's have all very new & 10 times duplication apparartus and other FD's haven't purchased a new fire engine in 25 years or 30 years but they always buy brand new luxury loaded take home Tahoe's for their Fire Chiefs, makes you wonder if they haven't purchased a new fire truck in over 25 years, where's all the money been going over the last 25 years ? That's what happens when you have over 100 vol. Kingdom FD's in the County with no accountable, thats why the level of services is below national standards NO ACCOUNTABLE

County's 400+ and growing take home Fire chief SUV'S, Have you ever seen one that wasn't brand new or year or two old ? The taxpayers are paying for the gas, insurances & the wear & tear for 90% for personal use

[HipKat]

Yes, Jennifer, Everyone in Buffalo is broke. Every business is going out of business. Every home is in foreclosure. Every job is lost and every person unemployed. You got your wish! Now drop dead....

[WNYresident]

County's 400+ and growing take home Fire chief SUV'S, Have you ever seen one that wasn't brand new or year or two old ? The taxpayers are paying for the gas, insurances & the wear & tear for 90% for personal use

Yes, Jennifer, Everyone in Buffalo is broke. Every business is going out of business. Every home is in foreclosure. Every job is lost and every person unemployed. You got your wish! Now drop dead....

Jennifer is over the top but in this case they are making a point how money is being spent.

[jennifer7]

Yes, Jennifer, Everyone in Buffalo is broke. Every business is going out of business. Every home is in foreclosure. Every job is lost and every person unemployed. You got your wish! Now drop dead....

So Sad !! But So True !!! WNY counties have the highest unemployment rates in the country. http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/wny-u...rage/485262168

Speaking of droping dead, just think of all the people in WNY who didn't have to die or are going to die because the FD are not ALS & Paramedics Level, and if they would have been just about anywhere else in the country they would be still be alive or would live, Volunteers say it takes too much time to train & it's a pain to have the constant on going training to be ALS & Paramedic level and they don't get payed is their excuse, Buffalo FD gets payed and is not ALS or Paramedic level either, the union says why should they have to do anything more then what they were already doing in the 1960's. Good story for the local TV, Radio & newspapers to ask why 99% of WNY doesn't provide national EMS standard level