The Village of North Hills’ apparent reluctance to pay the Albertson Fire Company more for its service led to their split, the head of the fire company said.
The company and North Hills negotiated a “modest” 2-percent hike in its fire service fees last year to be “sensitive” to the village’s constraints under the state tax levy cap, Alberston Fire Company board Chairman Richard Ockovic said in a letter to Blank Slate Media.
But the village’s budget ultimately pierced the tax cap after those negotiations, he said.
“In our eyes, this was deceptive and misleading to the fire company, as we had already made concessions to the village based on their tax cap limit,” Ockovic wrote.
The fire company sent North Hills officials a letter in February saying it would not renew its fire-service contract with the village.
The Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department covers most of North Hills, but the village has contracted with the Albertson Fire Company since 2007 to serve 22 homes in The Mews gated community because they are closer to their firehouses, Village of North Hills Mayor Marvin Natiss said.
Albertson’s contract this year was worth $6,300, Natiss said. The village has a similar $53,000 contract with the Roslyn Fire District to cover the Highpoint community.
In the letter, Ockovic said the fire company proposed a fee increase after learning last year it was undercharging North Hills based on assessed values of homes in the village. Some North Hills homes were paying less than those in Albertson’s regular service area, he wrote.
Natiss said the hike Albertson asked for was about $1,300, higher than the usual $150 or $200.
The fire company agreed to a fee “far below the increase we sought” after Natiss said the village had to adhere to the 2-percent tax levy cap, Ockovic wrote.
But Natiss said he never brought up the cap, as North Hills has pierced it every year since it was enacted.
Natiss said the village wasn’t being deceptive. It could have paid the higher rate in the future but couldn’t this year because its budget was already set for a lower fee.
“It’s not a financial strain on us,” Natiss said. “It just wasn’t in our budget.”
The village plans to contract with Manhasset-Lakeville to cover the Mews by the end of May, Natiss said. The Albertson Fire Company will charge the village on a pro-rated basis until it secures new fire service.
In his letter, Ockovic said Albertson would “fully cooperate with the village’s new fire provider in the transition process.”
At a March 16 meeting, Natiss said Albertson fire officials had not responded to his or Village Attorney A. Thomas Levin’s communications about the contract.
Ockovic said he had a “lengthy conversation” with Village Administrator Marianne Lobaccaro, and was surprised to read about communication issues in the Williston Times.
