Submitted by Chris Rossi on behalf of the Town of Hamilton
(Hamilton, NY – April 2015) On March 23 the residents of the Village of Hamilton voted to be included, along with the Village of Earlville, in the Town of Hamilton’s proposed Ambulance District. The next step towards establishing the Ambulance District is for a town wide referendum (vote) scheduled for Tuesday, April 28. This referendum is solely about whether or not to establish an Ambulance District for the entire town as a means to collect the tax money needed to contract for ambulance service.
As Village and Town law differ, and in accordance with State law, voting in the town wide referendum is open only to owners of taxable real property in the Town of Hamilton, including those living within Town boundaries in the Villages of Earlville and Hamilton. If you are a property owner in the Town of Hamilton, and live in the Village of Hamilton, this is your chance to vote again on this issue.
The Town of Hamilton’s referendum will take place on Tuesday April 28, in the Hamilton Library Community Room, the Poolville Community Center and the Village of Earlville Office, from noon to 9 p.m. Voting is open only to taxable real property owners in the Town of Hamilton. In order to vote, you must show photo identification. Property owners whose property is in the Village of Earlville will vote at the Village of Earlville Office. Those owning property in the Village of Hamilton will vote at the Hamilton Library. If your property is outside of both villages, then you will vote at the Poolville Community Center
The costs of providing local 24/7-ambulance service have outpaced available earned revenue, donations, and other fundraising. Support from taxpayers is needed to ensure the viability of this essential service. The Ambulance District has been proposed as the most transparent way to collect taxes specifically for ambulance service, while allowing for greater financial oversight and accountability. Currently, Town support for ambulance service appears as a line buried in the general budget. Billing for the Ambulance District would be easily seen as a separate line on annual tax bills. Funds collected through the Ambulance District could only be used to support ambulance service. Any unused funds would be carried over to offset future taxes or for vehicle and equipment needs.
The district would cover all residents within the boundaries of the Town of Hamilton, including all of the Village of Hamilton and the Village of Earlville within the Town’s boundaries. In accordance with New York State law, taxes to support the ambulance service must be collected from property owners in the Ambulance District, based on property value. This ad valorem method (a tax based on the assessed value of real estate) is the same one used to calculate Town, Village, County, and other special district taxes (such as fire or lighting districts).
Members of the town government are available to help community members understand the ambulance district issue, and the vote.
For more information please contact the Town of Hamilton (315-824-3380) or visit the Town of Hamilton website at www.TownofHamiltonNY.org.