The Oyster Bay Town Board approved three separate contracts for fire districts and fire departments for 2026, totaling more than $6.7 million. at its Tuesday, Feb. 24 meeting.
The board held three separate public hearings to renew the annual contracts for the Plainview Volunteer Fire Department, the Glenwood Hook & Ladder Engine and Hose Company and the Wantagh Fire District, with Town Attorney Elizabeth Faughnan presenting the terms at each hearing.
Faughnan said the Plainview Volunteer Fire Department is considered a nonprofit corporation with no elected commissioner, and therefore, the town board acts as the department’s commissioner for fire protection services.
The department’s contract includes $5,875,200 and the town’s contribution to the department’s Length of Service Award Program, which provides benefits to select firefighters, is not to exceed $275,000.
“That may seem like a large amount as compared to some of our other contracts, but I would like to point out that the Town of Oyster Bay is the only municipality that the fire department serves on a regular basis,” Faughnan said.
Faughnan said the $5.9 million contract is funded by residents served by the fire district.
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino asked Faughnan if the state provides the town with any funding due to the fire department’s territory, including a portion of the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway, which is a state highway. Faughnan said, to her knowledge, the town does not receive any contributions towards the budget or operating costs from the state, but that the town may receive state grants.
“I am once again frustrated by New York State benefiting from Long Island without paying for it,” Saladino said.
The contract for the Glenwood Hook & Ladder Engine and Hose Company will cost the town $980,260 and the town’s contribution to the department’s Length of Service Award Program is not to exceed $200,000.
Faughnan said the fire company service also includes the villages of Brookville and Roslyn Harbor. She said Oyster Bay’s share of the bill accounts for 46% of the company’s annual operating costs.
The town uses the Wantagh Fire Department to assist with operations at TOBAY Beach, as Faughnan said it is the closest fire department to the area. The annual contract will cost the town $8,500.
Saladino also said he was frustrated that the state was not providing local municipalities with funding, since the fire district would also cover Ocean Parkway, a state-operated highway.
