by Bea Peterson
No one attended the NYS mandated budget hearing held by the Hoosick Falls Joint Fire District on Wednesday, October 21. Fire Commissioners Dennis Bornt, Paul Davendonis, Jim Downey and Bill Gaillard and District Secretary Sabrina Bornt were in attendance to answer questions.
The two page budget had condensed categories for easy reading and stated the following:
Personnel services (secretary, treasurer/clerk 7,200
Department Equipment 10,503
Administrative expenses (auditor and office supplies) 7,292
Utilities (propane, telephone, electric, sewer, lawn, trash pickup, cable) 32,515
Fire Dept. Convention 1,000
Firefighting expenses (parades, dinner, physical fitness tests) 5,500
Building repair and maintenance 3,000
Fire equipment/alarms (includes repairs to apparatus, repair to equipment, gasoline, oil, sprinkler/alarms 25,900
Insurance 21,000
Retirement Plan 26,000
Redemption of Notes (includes ladder truck and new truck) 38,690
Redemption of Bonds (principal on building) 65,000
Interest on Bonds 60,000
Amount to Reserve Fund 20,500
Total $325,000
The tax rate for 2008 was $6.43 per $1,000 in assessment. The rate for 2009 will be $7.23 per $1,000 or 80 cents more per thousand. On a home assessed at $30,000 the increase will be $24 over 2008.
Gaillard said, “We decreased the Chief’s equipment fund. We did our best to pay for the trucks and retirement and not break (the taxpayer’s) backs.”
This is the first year the firefighters’ retirement plan is in place and NYS now mandates that the Company’s books be professionally audited. An audit costs between $5,400 and $7,500.