Changes at Morrisville Fire Department

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By Chief Michael Bischoff, Morrisville Fire Department

On November 8, 2011, the residents of the village of Morrisville and the town of Eaton voted in a public referendum to create a joint fire district. The Morrisville Fire Department had been an exclusive entity of the village of Morrisville. This successful vote was the result of a year-long effort by the department, especially company President David Pearsall and Chief Michael Bischoff. This effort was brought about to more equitably distribute the tax base and allow the town residents a voting voice in how their fire monies were spent. Over the past few years the working relationship between village officials and the fire department degraded to the point where a separation was almost a necessity in order for the fire department to survive. This was a difficult decision to make as the members realized that once this process was started there was no going back.

Due to the economy, anything that would be seen as a tax increase would most surely go down in defeat. In order to assist with this process, the Morrisville fire company engaged the services of attorney Brad Pinsky. Pinsky had worked with other fire departments seeking separation and was very familiar with the legal process involving a separation. This effort began in November 2009 with a unanimous vote from the members of the company to separate from the village. President Pearsall and Chief Bischoff met numerous times with attorney Pinsky to develop a well thought out and decisive plan. Key to the plan was cooperation from the membership. All members were encouraged to keep all comments within the department and not to disparage the process in the community. Pinsky constantly pushed the village board to move the separation process along so the momentum developed would continue in the department's favor.

At a joint village and town board meeting in October 2010, it was decided to have the creation of the district go to public referendum. This took place after a vote to approve the district via permissive referendum failed. Without support from either board it was up to the department to convince the public this was a worthwhile endeavor. Brochures and a newspaper ad were key to the success of the campaign in an effort to get facts to the public and keep rumors from derailing the effort. President Pearsall and Chief Bischoff met with civic and other community organizations to get the word out so the public would make an informed decision. There were two separate ballots, one for the village residents and the other for the town residents served by the Morrisville Fire Department. In order for the referendum to succeed, the vote had to pass in both ballots. Although the town residents’ taxes would rise by 50 percent, the marketing campaign succeeded in showing that a voice in how the district is run was more important. Now instead of two different tax rates, the entire population served by the district pays the same rate.

Throughout the entire process President Pearsall and Chief Bischoff ensured that only facts were printed and discussed in order to win the vote honestly. President Pearsall said throughout the process "just the facts" and believed the voters would make the right decision if they had all the facts. It was a long hard-fought battle, but the end results were well worth it.

Click here to email Chief Michael Bischoff.