Volunteer fire departments and their affiliates in Croton-on-Hudson and Eastchester are swimming in money, but figuring out what they’ve raised — and what they’ve spent it on — is proving difficult.
The Croton Fire Department is under criminal investigation for financial improprieties in its Fire Council while Eastchester fire officials continue their fight to unearth the whereabouts and use of millions of dollar in tax money held by its volunteer benevolent association.
Each department has thrown up roadblocks to disclosure. In Eastchester, the benevolent association's lawyer pleaded the Fifth Amendment when asked to disclose certain tax documents. Another Eastchester volunteer official, who still hasn't fully replied to a Freedom of Information Law request, simply said he didn't know why he had taken so long to respond.