Taxpayers served by the Fishers Fire District in Ontario County are burning mad.
The Daily Messenger reports the tax they pay for fire protection has gone up 66% over the last five years. The district serves part of the town of Victor, including five miles along the Thruway. After learning of the increase, one resident, Debra Hogan, decided to do something about it, running for a seat on the Fire District board earlier this year and winning. Another member of the “taxpayer revolt,” Fred Dewey, is running for a seat that will be decided next Tuesday.
An audit of the district by the State Comptroller’s office found the district “did not effectively manage the District’s financial condition and did not adopt realistic budgets from 2018 through 2021.” In responding to the audit, Fire District Board chair Kyle Fischer said the increase was due to the transition to a paid department. The Fishers Fire District has 27 paid employees. The district board has dropped the tax rate for the coming year by 20%.
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