After a public hearing and other formal discussions at a Jan. 6 meeting held in the Hubbard Auditorium at the Tioga County Office Building, the creation of a fire district was voted down by Village of Owego trustees. (Photo JoAnn R. Walter)
A meeting of the Village Board took place on Jan. 6 in the Hubbard Auditorium at the Tioga County Office Building. Also in attendance were village residents, and other village and town officials, among others.
Up for consideration was a resolution to form an Owego Fire District. Had it been approved, it would have been placed on the March ballot as a referendum during the Village elections, allowing residents to decide.
After a public hearing and other formal discussions at the Jan. 6 meeting, the creation of a fire district was voted down by Village of Owego trustees.
Village trustee Phoebe Morris commented that she felt there was never a clear explanation or decisive reasons why a fire district should be formed or a better explanation how it would ultimately benefit residents in the village.
“It was voted down and I am very happy with the result of the decision,” Morris said.
Several opportunities for residents to attend public hearings and offer public comment were given at joint town and village meetings as well as village board meetings since early 2015. For example, most residents who came forward to speak at the Nov. 29 meeting communicated that a fire district was in the best interest of the public and in turn, it should ultimately be up to the public to decide who should be in charge of taxpayer dollars.
The public was allowed time again to offer comment during the first part of the Jan. 6 meeting.
One resident spoke in favor of the motion for the village to abolish the fire department however other individuals offered the opposite viewpoint.
Concerns from village residents included comments that a joint fire district would not solve financial problems and would only generate more questions once taxing authority hands were changed. Another concern cited focused on a point that if the final decision were left in the hands of voters, a majority of those voters would not be fully informed, and that there was also a potential that only a minimal percentage of voters would turn out. Comments also included that with a little more work and study a workable solution could be found to benefit all involved.
Village residents who spoke felt it was not in the best interest of the public and urged the village board to not ask the public to vote.
A motion was filed at the meeting by some trustees to table the resolution and schedule another public hearing in February. However, there was not enough support from all trustees to agree to the motion. Overall, most residents who attended the meeting were pleased with the vote by village trustees.
