East Hills eyes $871K fire contracts

Max Zahn
East Hills Mayor Michael Koblenz

The East Hills Board of Trustees held a public hearing Wednesday on fire service contracts totaling $871,005, East Hills Deputy Treasurer Susan Gautier said.

The proposed contracts would comprise an agreement between the village and two fire companies: Roslyn Highlands Fire Department and Roslyn Rescue Fire Department, Mayor Michael Koblenz said.

The contracts include a cost increase from last year of $24,617.24 or 2.8 percent, Gautier said.

“A person at the meeting asked why we pay [these companies] and why we don’t have a full-time fire department,” Koblenz said.

“That would cost more. We would have to pay for trucks.”

“They said we don’t have a lot of calls,” Koblenz said. “I said that’s a good thing.”

The village also renewed a property tax exemption for seniors and firefighters.

The property tax exemption for seniors applies to residents over the age of 65 who make less than $35,400 per year. The firefighter exemption applies to all service members who reside in the village.

“We were one of the first villages to give exemptions for firemen more than 10 years ago,” Koblenz said.

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