East Fishkill Fire Dept. Refuses to Disclose Lost Taxpayer Money

A Hudson Valley fire district is in hot water after refusing to disclose how much taxpayer money was lost on a firetruck purchase that went bad.

Taxpayers are irate over learning that the East Fishkill Fire Department has refused to tell anyone how much money was wasted after returning a firetruck with mechanical problems. The district says that the million-dollar truck was purchased in 2014. From day one the vehicle was found to have mechanical issues that continued for six years until the truck was eventually sold back to the company for an undisclosed sum.

Assemblyman Anil Beephan's requests for the fire district to reveal how much taxpayer money was lost on the transaction have gone unanswered. A nasty posting on the East Fishkill Fire District's official Facebook page accuses Beephan of having an axe to grind and claims that there are valid reasons why the public is being denied information about the department's finances. The assemblyman says his constituents, including some of the fire district's own employees, have been asking him to take action.

The New York State Committee on Open Government has sided with the assemblyman in his pursuit of a FOIL request to force the fire district to reveal just how much money was lost on the bad truck. However, fire officials still refuse to talk about the purchase, claiming the settlement must remain secret as per a legal agreement.

For roughly six years the Fire District had engaged in arduous, protracted, and expensive litigation and recently we arrived at a settlement with the manufacturer to avoid spending additional taxpayer dollars toward an uncertain outcome. The terms of that settlement include a provision that the Agreement and its terms, not be disclosed.

 

The New York State Committee on Open Government says that the district's argument is misguided. They explain that revealing information about the transaction will not violate any privacy rights, as the fire district is a government agency. Additionally, the group says disclosing the details of a settlement with the truck company would not violate any non-disclosure ruling.

Taxpayers seem to agree, flooding Beephan's and the fire district's Facebook pages with demands for transparency.