A controversy is brewing in my hometown of Mahopac, New York. Roughly 55 miles north of New York City, this town has never been much more than a bedroom community since the local iron mines and resort hotels faded in the early 20th century. When I lived there (between 1968 and 1983) my description of the area was "semi-rural"; we had some farms and such, but enough infrastructure to be on the edge of being considered "suburban".
The fire departments in this area are volunteer - my brother was active in one of them when I was a kid, active with the EMS and emergency diver crews. He was a member of the smaller of 2 VFD's in town, the Mahopac Falls VFD. If I recall correctly, even in the early 1970's there was a fire truck in service since the depression. It was a major event when the Falls FD started to have a yearly fair (which was really cool for me, as the Mahopac Fireman's fair was a 6 mile trip for us to get to, but I could walk a half mile to get to the Falls fair). So it should be clear there was a big brother/little brother relationship between the 2 FD's. The Falls were the "hicks", the Mahopac FD were the "sophisticates".
Well, times have changed in my old town it seems. There is a federal investigation into the finance of the FD's, spurred by some shady spending reports from the Mahopac FD after they spent over $3 million dollars on a new firehouse.
Where has all the money gone?
Irregularities have appeared, as the FD financial statements indicate they spent nearly $1 million on equipment in 2013 and 2014, yet the departments vice chairman can only recall about a quarter of that ($175K for a new ambulance, and $50K for a new Chevy Suburban for the chief). Additional irregularities included nearly $300K spent on parades and parties between 2012 and 2014. To make the situation appear even more sordid, the former treasurer of the FD also owns a major supply company. This is at least the appearance of a conflict of interest, but early on in the investigation FD officials felt there was nothing untoward about this arrangement.
Of course, these problems have increased scrutiny of the other VFD's in the area, including the little brother 6 miles to the west. Audits have shown a radically different fiscal situation for the Falls FD - they are sitting on about $4 million in cash and investments (low risk municipal bonds), and about $400K in debt. The Mahopac VFD is pretty much in the opposite situation.
While it's not unexpected to heard complaints from my friends and former neighbors who still live in the area about the VFD that has the appearance of a criminal enterprise, there is significant grousing about the Falls VFD having such a strong financial statement. The cash on hand is about 6 times the departments annual expenses, and the taxpayers are contributing close to $750K a year. The cries of "they don't need the money" strike me as typical conservative BS. They are as angry at the FD that has been financially responsible as they are at one that has obviously been rife with theft.
The Falls FD has been able to pay cash for several large items over the past few years, has a couple of old trucks that will need to be replaced soon at a cost of nearly $1 million. Additionally there is the spectre of a development project in town that would require the department to obtain a ladder truck - an addition that would require a new Firehouse. The financing for another upcoming expense, and new tanker/pumper truck (nearly $600K), has not bee determined. The president of the Falls FD has said if they can get a loan at a low enough rate they'd rather not dip into their reserves. This is just responsible financial practice, something the "conservatives" supposedly applaud. In practice they seem to want to punish this department for this.
Fortunately the township and county politicians don't see a problem with the Falls FD being responsible with their money. But I wonder if the shortsighted members of the community will tolerate these politician much longer. The members of these volunteer FD's put their lives on the line for the community, and in the long and short run the way the Falls FD manages their money saves the tax payers money. The idea that the FD doesn't need the tax payer support they get because they "don't need the money" is a page directly out of the "run government like a business" playbook. "They don't need another firehouse!" Well, if they need to buy a ladder truck to protect and serve the community, then maybe they could just build a large carport for it, and have a piece of machinery that should last 30 years be dilapidated after 15. That'll save some tax money!
Then again, we are quite aware that RWNJ's are not that good at critical thinking or math.