The Village Board this week agreed to sign an indemnification agreement that holds harmless the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District for any injury or mishap that might occur while the Palatine Fire Department provides service to areas recently annexed into the village.
The board approved the motion after receiving a letter from Paul Wickland, president of the rural district’s board, demanding that the village either sign an indemnification agreement or cease providing fire protection and emergency service to areas annexed since Jan. 1, 1996.
Wickland argued in his letter to Village President Rita Mullins that, according to state law, the village has no legal authority to render such services to these annexed areas until Jan. 1, 1997.
Among the properties recently annexed are Randville condominiums and Cunningham Courts townhouses, located south of Dundee Road near Rand Road.
The Palatine Fire Department has been providing emergency services to these areas since the village annexed them earlier this year.
If the village continues providing these services until Jan. 1, 1997, the rural district doesn’t want to be held liable for anything that could go wrong within their jurisdiction by another fire department.
Although the village has been providing the emergency services, the rural district has continued receiving property tax revenue from these areas.
Village officials opted for the indemnification agreement because they said it’s important that these newly annexed residents feel like a part of the village.