To the editor:

After a recent review of village finances, we’ve identified long-standing issues in how contributions to the Tupper Lake Volunteer Fire Department’s truck reserve were handled. While these issues stem from decisions made by prior administrations, this board believes the community deserves a clear, honest explanation and a commitment to fixing what went wrong.

In 2016, the Village and Town of Tupper Lake entered into a fire protection agreement. Part of that agreement required annual contributions from both the town and village, intended to be placed in a dedicated reserve fund for the future replacement of fire apparatus.

Unfortunately, that reserve account was never formally established. Instead, the funds remained in the village’s general fund and were used over time to support various needs, including infrastructure projects, development efforts, and up-front costs tied to grant-funded work. While these expenses were legitimate, the fire truck reserve funds were not tracked, protected or used as intended.

To be clear, the funds were not handled appropriately. While they were not stolen or missing, using them for anything other than their designated purpose is a misuse of taxpayer dollars. This failure to safeguard restricted funds has created a financial burden that now falls to this board to address.

Recent review has shown that while the situation is not as dire as we initially feared, the full amount previously reported in the fund is not fully accessible. These dollars were effectively used as float, borrowed and repurposed within the general fund, something that should not have occurred.

At this time, we cannot responsibly commit to the purchase of a new fire truck.

Our board has committed to taking the corrective steps. We are creating a dedicated fire truck reserve account so that all future contributions will be properly protected. We will begin reimbursing the reserve for past contributions that were never properly set aside. And we are implementing stronger financial practices and greater transparency across the board to ensure taxpayer dollars are tracked and managed as intended.

This board did not make the decisions that led us here, but we are fully committed to correcting course. Our focus is on doing what’s right for our fire department, for our residents and for the long-term financial health of the village of Tupper Lake.

As your mayor, I want the community to know that I will always be available to answer your questions, and I will never hide information from the public. I campaigned on transparency, and I meant it. While I won’t take responsibility for the decisions of past administrations, I will take responsibility for fixing them and for making sure it doesn’t happen again.

Residents are encouraged to attend Village Board meetings or reach out directly with any questions or concerns.

Mary Fontana

Village of Tupper Lake mayor

On behalf of the Tupper Lake Village Board