Dear Town of Palmyra Resident,

This letter is to inform you of the current situation concerning Fire and EMS service for the Town of Palmyra.

Since January 1, 2012, The Town of Palmyra has received fire and EMS services from the Village of Palmyra under the terms of a contract called the 2011 Fire and EMS Agreement.  This agreement covered the period from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2021.  However, the terms of the 2011 Fire and EMS Agreement provide that this contract automatically renews at the end of any 10 year period unless either party gives notice of termination 365 days in advance of such termination.  Neither the Village nor the Town gave notice during 2021 and neither party disputes this.

Therefore, as a resident of the Town of Palmyra, you will continue to receive Fire and EMS services for the upcoming year (2022) from the Village of Palmyra Fire and EMS department. 

The 2011 Fire and EMS Agreement is very specific concerning dates and procedures for notifications by either party to the other.  The Village failed to provide notice to the Town of Palmyra of an increase in the Annual Fee to be charged in 2022 according to the Agreement.   Therefore, the Annual Fee for 2022 will remain the same as in 2021.  The Village has also never presented a new contract to the Town, although the Town received a letter from the Village president at the end of December 2021 which referred to an “attached” 2022 agreement and stating “If the Town does not sign and return the 2022 Agreement on or before December 30, 2021, this letter is notice, under Section VI of the 2011 Fire/EMS Service Agreement, that the Fire/EMS Service agreement shall terminate effective midnight on December 31, 2022”.   THERE WAS NO CONTRACT ATTACHED. 

Representatives of the Town and the Village have met on several occasions in what the Town believed was to be an attempt to begin negotiations on a new contract for fire and EMS services.  However, the Village has stated that they are not interested in negotiating either the price or the terms of any contract.    Instead, in a public meeting on December 1, 2021, the Village  stated that the Town should pay an increase of over 100%  of the 2021 cost, or $219,269 which amounts to ½ half of the Village Fire and EMS budget, although the Town is responsible for 30% of the Fire and EMS calls.  This amount would mean that the Town pays $180 per resident, and the Village pays $122 for each of their residents.  

The Village has made major increases in their budget, attempted to foist them onto the Town and refused to negotiate, taking a “take it or leave it” attitude.  

The Town Board of the Town of Palmyra believes it is in the best interest of the tax-payers to consider options other than contracting from the Village of Palmyra for fire and EMS services, and to that end, we are investigating the possibility of joining or being served by one or more adjacent departments or districts where we would have a seat on a board.  We are committed to assuring you receive service at least equal to that currently provided by the Village.