RESOLUTION NO. 209176
RE: COUNTYWIDE FIRE AND EMS PROTECTION TASK FORCE
Legislators DOXSEY, KUFFNER and FETTES offer the following and move its adoption:

WHEREAS, the continued purchasing of real property in Districts by Not For Profit (“NFPs”) entities is causing excessive burdens on the taxpayers, and adding to the already high costs to sustain living in Dutchess County, and

WHEREAS, these real property purchases by NFPs are causing more property to be deleted from the tax rolls in the Districts, thereby placing an increasing tax levy burden on minimal residential and commercial properties, and

WHEREAS, the NFPs’ expanding real property purchases combined with the additional services these NFP’s require are producing additional mental and physical stress as well as hazardous conditions for all Police, Fire and Emergency Services, and

WHEREAS, continued sales of these properties to tax exempt entities combined with the disproportional public services the tax exempts require put the life and safety of all the Residents in the County in harms way and increases costs to homeowners and businesses in areas with and without high volumes of NFPs, and

WHEREAS, the collective burden placed on the districts by the NFPs, creates and places additional health and safety issues for all the residents, non-residents and emergency personnel and

WHEREAS, the collective burden placed on the districts by NFPs needs to be addressed as a whole and not as separate and unrelated projects or issues, but for the overall health and safety of all the residents, non-residents and emergency personnel, and

WHEREAS, without substantial financial assistance for the areas of high NFPs’ properties, homes are being lost, revenues are constantly driven lower, property values are dropping due to high costs from taxes, real estate agents are finding it hard to sell properties in areas of and due to the aggressive NFPs’ purchasing properties and sprawling of their facilities, and

WHEREAS, this sprawling effect is detrimental to taxpayers in the Dutchess County area, causing losses of revenues and creating added burdens to those districts, places everyone’s life and safety in jeopardy, and

WHEREAS, the perceived economic benefit of NFPs is a benefit to all the residents of Dutchess County, yet the burden of providing the Life Safety Services they require is the burden of only the taxpaying residents of the districts the NFPs are located in, now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, the Chairman of the Legislature shall appoint seven individuals to be members of the task force, to be comprised of fire commissioners, fire chiefs, Dutchess County Emergency Service – E911 Center and a legislator presently serving on the legislature’s Public Safety
Committee, and be it further

RESOLVED, that the task force shall report findings and recommendations to the legislature regularily as pertinent cost saving information evolves, areas of potentially Safety issues that are deemed needed, required or mandated, and as soon after completing a final report as is practical and report those findings, and be it further

RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be sent to all Emergency Services in Dutchess County giving them the required authorization to put into place measures to sustain adequate Emergency Protection, and copies be sent to the Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro, Senator Terry Gipson, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Assemblyman Didi Barrett, State Legislators and State Congressmen of the State of New York.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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COUNTY OF DUTCHESS