At the moment, I just want to know how the "fire district" - an entity that possesses taxing authority but is not accountable to voter/taxpayers - ever came into legal existence.

This is a combination of power and non-accountability that needs to be abolished.

It may be too late to do the Central Coventry Fire District (and its taxpayers) much good, but it would seem to make sense to include fire districts in the Budget Commission law (Chapter 45-9) that has been used to help sort out matters in Central Falls, East Providence, and Woonsocket. That law has its problems and can be heavy-handed, but it is a means of avoiding bankruptcy and total collapse before a alternative solutions can be implemented. As I recall, the law was amended to retroactively address some of Central Falls's issues. Perhaps the same could be done with regard to CCFD.

Fire districts are created by charter through the General Assembly and are accountable to taxpayers. There had to be some taxpayer approval for the merger of the five smaller districts into the Central district. In many fire districts taxpayers do not pay attention and those with the purse are happy about that. The taxpayers do not attend fire district meetings; have no idea who "their" elected officials are; don't look at or question the annual budgets (or even know if there is a budget); don't demand annual audits; etc etc. How CC fire district got to the point where their expenses are $100,000 a week, when not that long ago the district was volunteer, is that taxpayers let it happen.

" How CC fire district got to the point where their expenses are $100,000 a week, when not that long ago the district was volunteer, is that taxpayers let it happen. "

Come on man... you're blaming the taxpayers for being taken advantage of, this isn't business we're talking about here, but rather public "service".

NOT "fleece the suckers"

But that's exactly what happened here and you know it.