At its meeting on Tuesday, June 17, the Gallatin Town Board was unable to take action on the potential dissolution of the Gallatin Fire District because — for the second time in two months — the fire commissioners could not attend the meeting.
In a preliminary communication with the board in March, the Gallatin fire commission proposed the district’s dissolution after expressing concern that there would not be enough candidates for commissioner — five are required — in an election this December. The board took up the matter at its May 20 meeting and planned to continue the discussion on Tuesday.
Currently, Gallatin does not operate its own fire company and is served by departments in Ancram, Livingston, Pine Plains, and Taghkanic, and a private company based in Milan. Under the existing district model, all property owners pay the same fire tax rate regardless of which company responds to a call.
If the district is dissolved, Gallatin could negotiate continued service from each of those same outfits, but the rates could vary depending on which company provided fire protection.
Milan Fire Company Chief Kurt Mizgier, First Assistant Chief Al Sardaro, and Second Assistant Chief and Public Affairs Officer Jeff Galm attended the meeting to give advice to Gallatin residents about the most effective way to get service.
They said that anyone in the fire district who calls 911 is automatically routed to Columbia County — which ensures the fastest response for those living near Ancram, Livingston and Taghkanic. But those served by the fire companies in Milan and Pine Plains should first call the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response at 845-471-1414.
After they delivered that message, Town Supervisor John Reilly asked for their thoughts on the Gallatin Fire District. Galm, himself a former Gallatin Town Board member, sympathized with those concerned about varying costs.
“It would be hard to keep the different sections of Gallatin paying the same amount,” he said. “In the past, there was a wide discrepancy, which was part of the reason we created the uniform fire district.”
While board members said they have been approached by individuals interested in running for commissioner, “ideally, you want someone familiar with the fire service,” Galm said, because that helps the district make informed budgeting decisions. He recommended approaching the other five companies directly to ask if they had members who would consider serving on the Gallatin Fire District.
The Milan officers said they were committed to continuing to serve Gallatin if its district status was dissolved, but they speculated that other companies would not want to get into “turf wars” and vie to take over service to different parts of town if the Town Board was to try to negotiate new rates.
Reilly expects a Gallatin commissioner to be at the Town Board’s next meeting, on July 15, when the discussion will be continued.
In other business, the board approved the annual state-mandated audit of its court. While the audit cited some sloppy paperwork, there were “no material issues” — and no financial issues. Reilly has spoken with the town’s judges, who will work with the court clerks to improve their process.
Highway Superintendent Jack Gomm said that with the receipt of slightly more in state funding than had been budgeted, and with savings on some other projects, he wanted to expand paving on Silvernails Road, which the board approved. Work on County Route. 7, closed at Tinker Road, right outside the Town Hall, will continue into the fall.
A member of the public asked about roadwork farther east on Route 7, which she said was impacting access to the Gallatin Church parish hall. Reilly pointed out that this is controlled by Dutchess County, not the town, but he asked Gomm to look into the project and see if the town could help with at least a temporary solution.
The board also passed a resolution adopting the Climate Smart Task Force’s Change, Adaptation, and Resilience Plan (CARP). This had been discussed and accepted in 2022; the formal resolution enhances Gallatin’s “bronze” status with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which in turn gives the town an advantage when pursuing state grant support.