Townships seek more details before signing Fire/EMS contract
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
The new home of Hillsboro Fire and Rescue is shown on North East Street.
Township trustees are scheduled to address the Hillsboro City Council during
the Aug. 9 meeting regarding pending fire protection contract increases that
some trustees are saying will put a strain on township budgets.
Townships seek more details
before signing fire/EMS contract
By BRANDY CHANDLER
The Highland County Press
Leadership from Highland County townships are scheduled to address the Hillsboro City Council during the Aug. 9 meeting regarding pending fire
protection contract increases that some trustees are saying will put a strain on township budgets.
Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey, who is legal counsel for the townships, confirmed representatives from Hamer, Jackson, Liberty, New
Market, Paint, Penn and Washington townships have requested to be on the agenda.
“This is a discussion, I believe, that needs to take place in open session,” Grandey said.
During the May council meeting, council went into executive session regarding “security” and upon entering back into regular session voted 6-0
to authorize Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt to negotiate new contracts for fire services with townships in Highland County.
Holt told The Highland County Press in May that he hoped to have negotiations completed prior to the next council meeting. While “each township will be different based on the different number of (fire/EMS) runs,” the townships can each expect an increase in the cost of services, Holt said.
However, the contracts have not been completed.
The city of Hillsboro is facing a pending deficit in the general fund, projected by the end of 2011. The projected deficit has been as high as
$730,000 and as low as $164,000 in recent months.
Liberty Township fiscal officer Jolene Walker told The Highland County Press this week that the proposed increases are going to put a financial
strain on some of the townships.
“It is going to be a hardship on us,” Walker said. “The increases for the townships’ fire contracts are between 42 percent and 76.34 percent.”
Walker also said that for the townships that have fire levies, some of the increases are “above and beyond” what the levies bring in annually.
“The city of Hillsboro needs to be more cooperative with us about these charges and explain them,” said Liberty Township Trustee Stephen Lerch.
According to Lerch, Liberty Township’s proposed increase is estimated around 76 percent.
Some trustees are saying they have not been given a reason for the increase.
Randy Mustard, a Paint Township trustee, said that his township has not signed the contract and, “There is just no way the people can survive with
that kind of increase. There is no rhyme or reason for it. The contract went from $62,050 to them wanting $99,000, in Paint Township alone.”
Kenny Harless, a trustee from New Market Township, said that the proposed contract increased their fire services from $29,000 to $41,000.
“We’d like to fight it,” Harless said, “but I don’t know what we can do. I think it’s crazy myself. I think we need to bring up (firefighter) wages
and things like that in the negotiations. But who knows what will happen. It doesn’t seem fair.”
Harless said that New Market Township has a reserve from their fire levy, and the increase in contracts would deplete the funds.
“We collect a millage and we have a little extra we keep aside,” Harless said.
“That’s all public record. At the rate they are raising us right now, in a few years we’re going to be clean out of what extra we’ve got.”
Leadership from Highland County townships are scheduled to address the Hillsboro City Council during the Aug. 9 meeting regarding pending fire protection contract increases that some trustees are saying will put a strain on township budgets.
Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey, who is legal counsel for the townships, confirmed representatives from Hamer, Jackson, Liberty, New Market, Paint, Penn and Washington townships have requested to be on the agenda.
“This is a discussion, I believe, that needs to take place in open session,” Grandey said.
During the May council meeting, council went into executive session regarding “security” and upon entering back into regular session voted 6-0 to authorize Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt to negotiate new contracts for fire services with townships in Highland County.
Holt told The Highland County Press in May that he hoped to have negotiations completed prior to the next council meeting. While “each township will be different based on the different number of (fire/EMS) runs,” the townships can each expect an increase in the cost of services, Holt said.
However, the contracts have not been completed.
The city of Hillsboro is facing a pending deficit in the general fund, projected by the end of 2011. The projected deficit has been as high as $730,000 and as low as $164,000 in recent months.
Liberty Township fiscal officer Jolene Walker told The Highland County Press this week that the proposed increases are going to put a financial strain on some of the townships.
“It is going to be a hardship on us,” Walker said. “The increases for the townships’ fire contracts are between 42 percent and 76.34 percent.”
Walker also said that for the townships that have fire levies, some of the increases are “above and beyond” what the levies bring in annually.
“The city of Hillsboro needs to be more cooperative with us about these charges and explain them,” said Liberty Township Trustee Stephen Lerch.
According to Lerch, Liberty Township’s proposed increase is estimated around 76 percent.
Some trustees are saying they have not been given a reason for the increase.
Randy Mustard, a Paint Township trustee, said that his township has not signed the contract and, “There is just no way the people can survive with that kind of increase. There is no rhyme or reason for it. The contract went from $62,050 to them wanting $99,000, in Paint Township alone.”
Kenny Harless, a trustee from New Market Township, said that the proposed contract increased their fire services from $29,000 to $41,000.
“We’d like to fight it,” Harless said, “but I don’t know what we can do. I think it’s crazy myself. I think we need to bring up (firefighter) wages and things like that in the negotiations. But who knows what will happen. It doesn’t seem fair.”
Harless said that New Market Township has a reserve from their fire levy, and the increase in contracts would deplete the funds.
“We collect a millage and we have a little extra we keep aside,” Harless said.
“That’s all public record. At the rate they are raising us right now, in a few years we’re going to be clean out of what extra we’ve got.”
[[In-content Ad]]