The Marcellus Town Board approved a bond resolution for the Marcellus Firehouse at its Jan. 10 meeting. The resolution shortens the remaining time on the bond from seven years to five – which amounts to a savings of $30,000 for the town over the five years. Supervisor Dan Ross said the proceeds from the bond will be used to purchase the fire station from the village, and the transaction should be finalized by April 1. A five-year bond is not subject to referendum and does not require a public hearing, Ross said. “The whole legal structure has changed from a village fire company that contracted with the town to a fire protection district that the town manages,” Ross added. The Marcellus Fire Department separated itself from the village to seek town governance in 2005. Mayor John Curtin said the mayor at the time, Fred Eisenberg, stated that if the town was going to take over the fire department, then the building should go with it. “In other words, the town would assume full legal and financial responsibility for it,” Curtin said. “That required special state legislation, because technically, a town cannot own a fire house.” Legislation was acquired in 2009. The town has been paying for the building since the change in governance in 2005, but the title remained with the village. “The village received reimbursement from the town each year for the cost of the building,” Curtin said. Town switches healthcare plans
The board approved to switch to a new Excellus healthcare plan for current town employees. Ross said the plan will save the town an estimated $29,000 annually. “We’re always looking for ways to do things less expensively without having a tremendous impact on the benefits we offer to employees,” Ross said. The plan includes a new inpatient hospital deductible and allows employees to receive cash rewards for certain healthy practices. The board enlisted Chris Arnold, a broker with Reagan Insurance Companies of Marcellus, to find the most cost-effective healthcare plan. “He’s paid out of the premium that we would have paid anyway,” Ross said. “That gave us the opportunity to get somebody that has a lot of expertise in that area to tell us what products are out there.” Replacement fee added
The town approved a dog replacement tag fee, which allows the town to charge dog owners $2 to replace lost dog tags.