The Village of Baxter Estates Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 2026 contract with the Port Washington Fire Department, after receiving a detailed briefing that included call volume, staffing pressures and updates on the state’s EMS cost-recovery program.
The department’s proposed 2026 contractual budget totals $4.97 million, a 2.95% increase over 2025. Baxter Estates’ share will rise by $4,210, bringing its 2026 contribution to $132,788.
Christopher Bollerman, representing the Port Washington Fire Department, told the board during the public hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 3, that the department remains the busiest in Nassau County.
“Year after year we’re number one or two in Nassau County. We have a busy department,” he said, noting the department answered 3,945 calls in the past year.
Baxter Estates accounted for 104 calls, or 2.6% of the call volume.
Ambulance services continue to drive demand.
“Our ambulance calls… it’s 24/7. We’ve just been really, really busy,” Bollerman said.
Recruitment, he added, remains a challenge. He attributed this issue to high housing costs.
“We brought in 38 members and 23 left,” Bollerman said.
A significant offset to rising costs for paying municipalities comes from New York State’s EMS cost-recovery program, which allows fire departments to bill insurance for ambulance transports.
“It was supposed to sunset… but they made it permanent for another five years,” Bollerman said. “We budgeted about $792,000 in 2026 in cost recovery. All of that goes right into reducing what the municipalities pay.”
Bollerman also reported that the department’s LOSAP program is “99.5% funded,” and that the department will soon seek local referendums to increase allowable years of service credit from 40 to 50.
Trustees praised the department’s performance.
“You guys are fantastic. People call, you are there. Instantaneously,” Mayor Nora Haagenson said. ”Which is not the case in other villages out of your district. They wait half an hour, sometimes for an ambulance. That is never the case with the Port Washington department.”
The board also approved a local law expanding residency eligibility for certain village officials. With no public comments, trustees voted to adopt the amendment.
Village Attorney Chris Prior explained that it now allows residents of counties adjacent to Nassau to serve in designated positions.
The board also authorized additional leaf and curb line cleanup. The board agreed that there have been excess leaves on the roadways that need to be cleared before snow begins to fall.
The board again raised concerns about residents and landscapers placing leaves in the street.
“We need folks to stop dumping leaves in the road — it blocks drainage and costs us money,” Deputy Mayor Charles Comer said.
The next board of trustees meeting will be on Jan. 7.
