Fiscal Picture Looks Bleak for Coventry Fire District

As bills continue to mount and coffers keep draining, things are looking do-or-die for the Coventry Fire District.

“I am pessimistic” board chairman Frank Palin told the Providence Journal on Sunday. ““There is absolutely no way without a miracle influx of money that we can finish the [fiscal] year” in November before running out of cash.

The district couldn’t make its full payroll on Friday. Meanwhile unpaid bills are accumulating and a plea for taxpayers in the district to pay early has not done much to bring in extra cash.

The district will meet on Tuesday and layoffs could be discussed.

Meanwhile, talks between the International Association of Firefighters Local 3372, the fire union, and the district board, are ongoing.

Union President David Gorman said that there is some progress on a short-term fix because nobody wants the district to go into receivership or face liquidation.

There could be another special referendum for a new tax, or tax increase, and both sides are trying to hammer out a deal that might give some financial stability over the next few years.

But it’s not clear if taxpayers would be willing to pay any more for fire service -- residents rejected a one-time tax and voted to disband the fire district in a nonbinding referendum last month.

Palin said the district’s unpaid bills now stand at about $900,000 -- an increase from the $650,000 reported last December.

Note: An earlier version of this story erroneously referred to the fire district as the Central Coventry Fire District. We regret the error.