Fire contract debate renewed

CATO - The Cato Town Board held a public hearing on fire contracts at its meeting Tuesday night as the town debated the issue of whether the Meridian Fire Dept. would come back to cover the town's Fire District No 1.

A resolution may not take place until the next board meeting Nov. 6 when a public hearing will be held on the 2009 budget.

Cato, Jordan, and Meridian contracts are renewable one-year contracts. If the village of Cato's Fire department contract is based on last year's service, it decreases from $1.30 per thousand assessed valuation to $1.09 per thousand. If the town includes the Meridian Fire Department, then the rate remains the same as last year, with no decrease.