Branchport/Keuka Park seeks Penn Yan fire contract decision by Dec. 1

The Branchport/Keuka Park Fire District has asked Penn Yan to clarify its plans for 2027 fire protection by Dec. 1, offering $47,348.40 for a full-year agreement as the communities confront rising costs.

District Chairman David Mortensen said the money would be available in the district’s 2027 budget if the village submits a contract covering the entire year at that amount and the district board approves it.

If Penn Yan does not intend to propose a new agreement, Mortensen said fire officials need advance notice to adjust operations and coordinate changes with Yates County Dispatch.

The Oct. 27 request follows more than a year of discussions about how to pay for fire protection, replace expensive equipment and divide costs between the village and surrounding communities.

Equipment costs have increased pressure

Penn Yan officials identified fire services as a major budget pressure during their March budget workshop, when combined fire-related expenses were projected to increase by more than 25%.

At that March 23 meeting, Clerk-Treasurer Holly Easling outlined approximately $130,000 in recurring annual debt service for the village’s ladder truck. Officials also discussed higher equipment prices, hose-testing expenses and reserves that were insufficient to fully fund the department’s long-term replacement schedule.

The meeting minutes put the combined increase at 25.37%, to be shared between the village and its fire contracts. They also identify Branchport/Keuka Park’s concern about rising costs and plans for further discussions.

Those pressures had been anticipated a year earlier.

During a March 27, 2025, budget discussion, Easling said intermunicipal contracts covered roughly 70% of Penn Yan’s Fire Department budget, with village taxpayers covering the remaining 30%. The allocation fluctuated with assessed property values.

She warned then that payments for a new fire truck would begin in 2026 and affect contract costs in 2027.

District previously questioned how costs were shared

At the 2025 meeting, Branchport/Keuka Park Commissioner Bill Wolff said the district’s approximately $47,000 payment toward the Penn Yan contract exceeded the roughly $35,000 in tax revenue collected for it.

Wolff questioned whether continued increases were sustainable and raised concerns about future truck prices and inadequate equipment reserves.

The district presented three alternatives: create a joint fire district, align the contract payment with the tax revenue available from Jerusalem, or end the contractual arrangement.

The latest correspondence proposes a specific amount for 2027 while asking the village to provide enough time to prepare if an agreement is not pursued.

Penn Yan’s 2027 fire contracts were listed for discussion in September. Mortensen’s request was subsequently placed on the Public Safety Committee’s Nov. 10 agenda.

December request centers on response planning

Mortensen’s message ties the requested Dec. 1 response directly to preparations for the territory Branchport/Keuka Park would cover.

He said the department’s chief officers wanted time to adjust operations and work with county dispatch on the changes that would be needed.

The proposed $47,348.40 agreement would require action by both the Penn Yan Village Board and the fire district board.

Staff Report

FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.