In several communities in Rhode Island, as well as in each of the other New England states, fire protection is divided among a number of fire districts (some are independent districts with powers to tax, and some are maintained by the municipality).
There has been a move in some of these communities to consolidate fire districts - either reducing the number of districts or consolidating the districts into one municipal department.
One such example is Cumberland, RI. The Cumberland Town Council recently voted to place on the November 2nd ballot a binding referendum question related to merging the town's fire districts. If passed, this would authorize the council to follow up on the consolidation process (including hiring a consultant to assess the proposed consolidation).
To read area newspaper articles on the subject, please visit:
Providence Journal: Cumberland voters to decide on merger of fire districts
Valley Breeze: Fire merger question on ballot - again
The Cumberland process has faced a number of challenges since it began. In neighboring Lincoln, three fire districts have been undergoing a smoother process.
Under the auspices of the Albion, Lonsdale, Saylesville Fire Districts Consolidation Committee, residents of the three Lincoln fire districts have been addressing many of the concerns related to merging the districts. The proposed merger would reduce the town's six fire departments to four departments.
To read related newspaper reports, please visit:
Valley Breeze: Three Lincoln fire districts on verge of merge
Providence Journal: 3 fire districts consider consolidating services
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment