MASSENA, New York (WWNY) - The town and village of Massena are at odds over who pays what for fire protection services. With no agreement and the current contract almost up, the clock is ticking.

As it stands, the town has no fire protection going into the new year.

“Maybe they would ask neighboring communities, but they don’t have near the capacity to protect that we do,” said village Mayor Greg Paquin.

For years, the town has paid a flat fire protection fee, a service provided by the Massena Fire Department in the village. But Paquin says the town isn’t paying its fair share, and that has to change.

“Even though they were getting over 20% of the calls, they were only paying 7.5% of the budget, for a savings of roughly $5 million over a 10-year period,” he said.

The village board app

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