Oneonta fire contract talks stall

Feb. 25--Negotiations have stalled between the city and town fire commissioners on future agreements for fire protection services by the paid Oneonta Fire Department.

But officials on both sides expressed willingness Thursday to resume talks.

Meanwhile, the Town of Oneonta Fire District has issued a call to gauge interest from potential volunteer firefighters and has set a public hearing next month about forming a corporation to provide protection services.

Under the contract with the city, the fire district is paying $1.05 million this year, the second year of a three-year agreement reached a year ago.

At separate meetings in February 2016, the city Common Council and fire district commissioners approved a three-year contract hammered out in state Supreme Court in Cooperstown the previous month. After negotiations stalled with the Dec. 31, 2015, contract about to expire, the city took the district to court that month, and the agreement was extended 45 days.

The city had been seeking a $1.2 million contract. Fire commissioners, who objected to that price, maintain that city's positions have been unfair and unrealistic.

On Thursday, Oneonta Mayor Gary Herzig said establishing a volunteer fire department would jeopardize the safety of city and fire district residents and property.

"It's a step backwards," Herzig said. "Sharing of services and cooperation is what makes sense and what is best for both the city and the town."

Michael Butler, chairman of the Fire District Board of Commissioners, said though talks are stalled, "we're not shutting the city off."

DECADES-OLD RELATIONSHIP AT STAKE

For decades, the district has been protected by the paid Oneonta Fire Department under a contract with the city. The town of Oneonta surrounds the city, and the fire district includes most of the town, including the commercial Southside area, with the volunteer West Oneonta Fire District covering the remainder.

Herzig and Supervisor Robert Wood said separately Thursday that they hope the public turns out for the fire district hearing at 6 p.m. March 14.

The public hearing will be at Elm Park Methodist Church at 401 Chestnut St., according to a legal notice. The question to be addressed is whether commissioners should approve formation and incorporation of a fire corporation to serve the district.

The name of the proposed corporation would be the "Oneonta Town Fire Department Inc.," the notice said, and those to sign the certificate of incorporation are Ronald Peters, Fernando Volpe and Johna Peachin, and the area served would be the Town of Oneonta Fire District.

Peachin, Volpe and Don Lamanna are Fire District commissioners, and a fifth board seat is vacant.

COURT HEARD PREVIOUSLY STALLED CASE

In late 2015, the city filed suit against the fire district in state Supreme Court after contract negotiations stalled.

Under the resulting three-year agreement, district payments were set at $1.03 million in 2016; $1.05 million in 2017; and $1.1 million in 2018. The District had refused the city's original $1.2 million offer.

As part of the agreement, a task force was to form and address contractual issues. The task force met last year and hired a consultant who recommended a contract option, but city officials said the town rejected the formula and the task force no longer is meeting.

CONSULTANT: TOWN SHOULD PAY MORE

The task force hired VFIS, a consulting firm from York, Pennsylvania, and the firm recommended that the fire district pay 7 percent more to the city for services.

In 2016, the city paid $2.8 million, or 73 percent, of the OFD budget of $3.8 million, according to the VFIS study, and the Fire District paid $1.03 million, or 27 percent.

The $3.8 million budget didn't include retirement benefits, insurance or building costs, the consultant said.

VFIS, which weighed various factors, proposed the fire district pay 34 percent of the OFD budget. All costs of providing service should be included in the calculation, including expenses charged to the city's general fund, plus related costs, such as insurance premiums, fire department property and liability insurance, the report said.

VFIS studied risk, property values, population, coverage area, service calls and other factors.

"The city was perfectly comfortable with the formula," Herzig said. "The commissioners rejected it."

Butler said commissioners were unhappy with the consultant's report because the firm didn't provide requested information. Commissioners are reviewing options, including establishing a volunteer department, he said.

Commissioners don't have any problem with the quality of service provided by OFD, Butler said, and the dispute is with City Hall. Having trained crews ready to respond carries a cost but the fire district doesn't have that many calls, he said.

"The price is where the big issue is," Butler said

MAYOR: PUBLIC SAFETY AT RISK

If a volunteer department formed in the Town of Oneonta Fire District, residents and property owners would lack protection by a well-equipped department and professionally trained crews, Herzig said.

"We'd have to reduce the size of our fire department," Herzig said. "We're able to have the size of Oneonta Fire Department crews and equipment because we're sharing in costs."

Herzig said the city is willing to continue its contract with the fire district under the formula recommended by the consultant or to continue the current agreement minimal cost-of-living increases based on the Consumer Price Index.

Butler said Thursday that he hadn't heard about the city's COLA plan and said he would need to contact the mayor.

The Oneonta Fire Department has four six-member crews, plus a chief, assistant chief, five part-timers who fill in, a light-duty firefighter and a call firefighter, city officials said.

OFD equipment includes two aerial trucks, two engines, two rescue trucks, a brush/utility truck, an all-terrain vehicle, two boats, a chief's vehicle and three ambulances, officials said.

In 2016, the OFD responded to 10 building fires in the town fire district and eight in the city, according to a statistics report. Of 3,390 total calls, including emergency medical service calls, 934, or 28 percent, were in the town fire district, the report said, and 1,974, or 58 percent in the city. The remaining calls were in West Oneonta or for mutual aid to other departments.

In January, the fire district and city each had one building fire, and of 303 total responses, 90 calls, or 30 percent, were in the fire district, and 166, or 55 percent, were in the city. Other calls include other types of fires, hazardous conditions and false alarms.

Residents and property owners in the fire district need to be the "ultimate deciders" of fire protection services, which is why it's important they attend the hearing, according to Herzig.

The Oneonta Town Board approves a contract with the city of Oneonta for ambulance services for the entire town. The Fire District Board of Commissioners is responsible for fire protection services.

Wood said it is the commissioners' responsibility to review options for services if the city proposals are unbearable or unacceptable.

"They seem to be doing a fairly thorough job of exploring options," Wood said. The supervisor said he is a strong proponent of returning to a previous formula used for about a dozen years that he said quantifies levels of service and removes questions about service quality.

"We certainly hope the public will attend that meeting," Wood said. "It could represent a substantial change in the way EMS and fire services are provided."

Denise Richardson, staff writer, may be reached at (607) 441-7213 or at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @DS_DeniseR.

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