SOUTH CORNING, N.Y. (WENY) -- Officials in the Village of South Corning held a special meeting Thursday night about the possible new fire district with the Town of Corning. 

With very little discussion, the village board voted unanimously to approve the measure, effectively agreeing to establish the new fire district with the town. The goal of the move is to help streamline services and create an even tax rate for everyone in the village and town. 

A Board of Commissioners will be appointed by the town in October, but that's only for the first year. In the future, those positions will be elected by the public.

But in terms of fire service, officials say residents don't have to worry about any changes. 

"What this does is it takes your tax dollars and puts it directly towards your fire men and women who are out there trying to help you. All of the money goes directly to them. These Fire District Commissioners are trained in commissioner law, fire law and they look at it as, essentially like a school district: who has the most needs?" says Jenniffer Mullen, a Councilwoman with the Town of Corning. 

Since the Board of Commissioners will ultimately decide the new tax rate, officials don't know what changes residents may face. During the special meeting, it was discussed that Town of Corning residents will most likely see a decrease, whereas Village of South Corning residents will most likely see an increase. 

"As village residents, we traditionally have been paying less than other people in the town, so we're going to see our costs go up slightly. But, if you look at the other alternatives, this is going to be a slight increase vs. if we try to stand alone, the increases would be astronomical," explains James Thomas, Mayor of the Village of South Corning. 

After Thursday's decision, there is a 30 day window for the public to call for a referendum. WENY News will continue to follow any developments in this story.