Contracts Finalized With Richmondville Fire Department

By Chris English

RICHMONDVILLE/SEWARD — The Richmondville Volunteer Fire Department has lined up its contracts for fiscal year 2026 with the various municipalities for which it provides fire protection.

At a special morning meeting on Monday, Oct. 6, the Village of Richmondville Board of Trustees approved a resolution that authorizes Mayor Carl Warner Jr. and Clerk-Treasurer Jenifer Fisher to sign the fire protection contracts for the Towns of Richmondville and Seward.

The firehouse is located in the Village of Richmondville, right across Main Street from the municipal building. The approved resolution states that the "Richmondville Fire Protection District encompasses portions of the Towns of Richmondville and Seward" and that the "Board of Trustees for the Village of Richmondville and the Town Boards of Richmondville and Seward are in agreement as to the contractual obligations for fire protection in the Richmondville Fire Protection District."

According to an email from Fisher sent to this newspaper after the Oct. 6 meeting, the amounts to be paid the Richmondville Fire Department for fiscal 2026 are $39,962 from the Village of Richmondville, $81,241 from the Town of Richmondville and $8,797 from the Town of Seward. The total of $130,000 is an increase of $8,850 from fiscal year 2025, she added.

"This is based on a multitude of factors including equipment and contractual obligations," Fisher wrote.

The Richmondville Town Board had approved their share during an Oct. 2 budget workshop meeting.

"The village (also) approves a contract for the Town of Richmondville and the Town of Seward to provide services for their fiscal year," Fisher wrote in the email. "The Town of Richmondville does not have their own fire department. The Town of Seward uses multiple surrounding fire departments since they do not have one themselves."