Letters

Like many of my neighbors, until two months ago I had no idea what the differences were between the Southampton Village Fire Department and the Southampton Fire District. While I would hardly call myself an expert, as a resident and taxpayer of the Southampton Fire District I have made a commitment to learn as much as I can.

Unfortunately, the more I learn about the fire district commissioners’ proposed firehouse at 319 Upper Seven Ponds Road in Water Mill, the more questions I have.

The Southampton Fire District website states it is “a management structure for taxpayer interests.” So why does the Southampton Fire District have over $9 million in reserve? How did such a large amount accumulate, and why has this been permitted? Shouldn’t an annual budget accurately reflect the amount of money needed to provide adequate fire protection for our district and not be warehoused for some future use? Shouldn’t this money be returned to the taxpayers?

Although the fire district website states that one of the objectives of creating their own tax line is for “all property owners within the district to have a voice and a vote in firematic protection issues, rather than just the Village of Southampton residents,” how many residents in the 16-square-mile Southampton Fire District have ever attended a district meeting? How many of you have ever voted in a fire district commissioner election or even know what date and where the election is held?

How many residents in the fire district understand that because of this surplus of tax dollars, the fire district commissioners have been able to purchase a residential piece of property located on a back road in Water Mill, surrounded by wetlands and private residences, for $1.65 million without ever having to discuss this decision with the taxpayers who fund their tax line?

How can tax dollars continue to be spent without any input from the taxpayers? Why aren’t fire district meetings streamed live and televised like our Town Board, zoning board, conservation board, planning board and Trustee meetings, so that the residents of the entire fire district have adequate information about how their tax dollars are being spent?

What sort of safety checks were put in place when the Town Board turned the fire protection district over to the fire district commissioners so that residents of the fire district would have some oversight as to how their taxes are being spent?

Most importantly, do residents of the Southampton Fire District understand that a multimillion-dollar firehouse is being proposed using their tax dollars?

I would encourage every taxpayer in the Southampton Fire District to start attending monthly meetings and educate themselves about how their tax dollars are being spent.

Rachel Verno

Water Mill