New Castle Fire District Referendum to Acquire Property Approved
A little known referendum was approved Thursday evening by New Castle Fire District No. 1 voters that enables the district’s board of commissioners to spend up to $1.65 million to buy property for service enhancement.
Commissioners scheduled the vote by a board resolution on April 11. Voters passed the proposition 77-47 Thursday night at the Chappaqua Fire Department headquarters at 491 King St. Voting took place between 7 and 9 p.m.
The proposition does not mention a specific property for purchase, although the district had previously been in contract to buy an adjacent .87-acre parcel next to its headquarters, said Christopher Weddle, chairman of the five-member board.
Daniel Doran, the fire district’s attorney, said the potential deal for that parcel fell through about four years ago because of environmental problems at the site. The increasing size of modern fire trucks and equipment will likely necessitate a larger facility, whether that means building a larger firehouse at another location in town or expanding the current headquarters, he said.
“That’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” Weddle said.
Passage of the referendum gives the district the option of raising the money by either mortgage, bond or increasing the tax levy, Doran said. A referendum was required under state law because the district needs public approval to acquire property.
News of the referendum caused a stir this week among some district residents who had not previously heard about the vote. At Tuesday night’s New Castle Town Board meeting, Councilman John Buckley read the resolution that had been passed by the board of commissioners in April.
Weddle said that while some residents may have first learned about the proposition this week, information has been readily available in the public arena since the April passage of the resolution to hold the vote. In addition, the legal notice was posted on the district’s link on the Chappaqua Fire Department web site and on the bulletin board at town hall. The legal notice ran earlier this month in The Journal News and it was posted on the town’s website earlier this week.
The possibility of a referendum had also been discussed at board of commissioners meetings, which are open to the public, for years, Weddle said. He said he was “flabbergasted” at criticisms thrown at the board of commissioners.
“I firmly believe in an informed electorate but I think the electorate also has a responsibility to stay informed,” he said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
