Roslyn Fire sues Village of Roslyn

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James McCann said the Village of Roslyn has not paid its allocated fees for 2022 in total. He estimated the village is short about $300,000 in its payment, but McCann said he did not have the exact fgures at the time he spoke with Blank Slate.

“However, the decision by your Village offcials to refuse payment to our Fire District is causing severe distress to the department’s ability to operate,” the Roslyn Fire Companies’ letter said. “Without this critical funding, our frefghters will not be able to access essential equipment, such as new protective gear and frefghting apparatus, nor will they be able to aford the necessary training and education required to perform their jobs.”

Roslyn Mayor John Durkin released a statement Monday calling the issue “only a money matter.”

He called the lawsuit brought forth by the fre companies a “mistake.”

“We will vigorously defend our position because we feel we have an obligation to the taxpayers of this Village to shield them from such rapacious activity,” Durkin said in his letter.

McCann said the missing funds and lack of agreement with the Village of Roslyn have greatly impacted the membership of the Roslyn Highlands Fire Department because they feel as if they are not appreciated.

He said this will also afect the department’s process of repairs and its infrastructure, which he said they have held of from proceeding with to keep costs lower.

Roslyn Rescue President Salvatore Mirra Jr. said that fnances have been tight for the department yet they have not compromised their services to their municipalities.

“This is all to protect our people,” McCann said.

McCann and Mirra said the fre companies have tried to work on fnding a better agreement with the village, but that the Village of Roslyn has not provided any other solutions.

The letter distributed by the fre companies encourages residents to reach out to Village of Roslyn ofcials to reconsider their actions and allocate the necessary funds to the fre companies.

Mirra and McCann said the fre companies have fled against the Village of Roslyn. Mirra said the purpose of the lawsuit is to get the remaining funds from the village that it has not paid to the fre companies.

McCann said that the fre companies derive their income from assessed evaluations of the municipalities they serve. He said this is how a vast majority of fre companies determine their budgets and allocated fees for services.

Durkin said that in 2021 the county changed its assessment protocols, which increased the village’s payment to the fre companies by 48.2%.

He said that in the years from 2017-2021, the Roslyn Fire Companies comprised about 9% to 10% of the village’s total budget. In 2022, under the new county assessment procedures used by the fre companies, fre expenses became 14% of the village’s budget.

Durkin said there had been “no material changes” to the village under this new assessment, only “technical changes of categorizing