City submits 48-percent increase for EMS, fire service
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
The city of Hillsboro has submitted a new per-person figure on how much fire and EMS coverage will cost six area townships. However, that number is higher than what the Hillsboro auditor recently reported would be needed in order to properly support Hillsboro Fire and Rescue, while putting away funds for capital improvements.
Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt sent a letter to Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins on June 28. "After consulting with interested persons in the city, we are proposing $40 per person for fire and EMS combined," Holt said in the letter.
Collins, legal counsel to Hamer, Jackson, Liberty, New Market, Paint and Washington townships, had requested that the city informed them of how much it costs to provide the service to each of the estimated 13,007 people who reside in those townships by June 29. She said that deadline was set so that the townships would have time to analyze figures and review options in the event they needed to put levies on the November general election ballot. The deadline for ballot issues is Aug. 10.
Holt said in his June 28 letter to Collins that her working as legal counsel for the townships "is the one reason we have some hope for resolving the seeming impasse of the past several months as to EMS ... I want to assure you that the city will not in any way attempt to profiteer on these agreements, nor do I expect the townships to avoid paying other than a reasonable part of the costs of services. We will try to be as open with you as our resources permit."
The figure of $40 is $13 more – a 48-percent increase – than a $27 per person fee that was proposed by Hillsboro Auditor Gary Lewis during a June 23 meeting of the finance committee of the Hillsboro City Council.
During that meeting, Lewis said the current cost per year is $17.81. Lewis said that $9.06 would be needed to cover the costs of the equipment, which brings the total to $26.87, which he rounded up to $27 per township resident. It would bring in an additional $113,000 per year. That would be combined with the current "soft billing" that the city does on EMS runs. Looking at the current financials of the townships, Lewis said that Hamer, Liberty, Paint, New Market and Washington townships would not have to put on a new levy for at least five years. Jackson Township might have to put on one within two years.
Residents of the city of Hillsboro pay between $75 and $106 per person for fire coverage, depending on income, for fire and EMS coverage. However, that includes ownership of the building. The townships, according to Lewis, just contract for "labor."
During the meeting, finance committee members Peter Pence, chairperson; and Dave Shoemaker, said they wanted to have some time to look over and analyze the numbers proposed and to consult with committee member Bill Alexander, who was not in attendance. They said they would then set another meeting date prior to the June 29 deadline. However, they have not met since the June 23 meeting.
Lewis told The Highland County Press that he was not consulted on the the city arriving at the $40 per person figure.
"Mr. Holt absolutely did not consult with me, so I don't what justification he has for $40 per person," Lewis said. "I have no information on that. The prosecutor has called me as well and asked me about that and I had to tell her the same thing. I was not consulted by the safety and service director."
When asked how he arrived at the figure, Holt advised The Highland County Press to speak to Pence because, "The finance committee came up with that figure. All I know is that (Pence) contacted me and said that $40 is what they came up with for a fee."
Pence, when asked about the figure, initially said, "That's not the number that came out of the committee. Negotiating is supposed to be Mr. Holt's job. He and the law director (Fred Beery) are are supposed to be the ones negotiating with the townships. They need to take ownership of it as well."
When asked if Holt was incorrect in his assertion that the $40 figure had come from the finance committee, Pence said that it was "not incorrect."
"He keeps wanting to come back and put it on council. Council instructed him what to do once before and he didn't think much of it," Pence said.
A short time after the interview concluded, Pence contacted The Highland County Press and asked to clarify his previous statements, saying that he had initially been "vague," and that the number was not intended to be the final figure that townships would pay. Rather, it was the starting point.
"That $40 number, I did recommend that number to Ralph. But that's just the starting point," Pence said. "I'm sure that's not the number that it's going to end up being. But everyone has kind of been sitting around and we need to get the ball rolling with this. It's a starting point; something to get both sides to the table. We've got a long history with the townships. We've provided service to them for more than 30 years and it's my intent to try to get something worked out that would be beneficial to them and beneficial to us. It's just a starting point."
Collins told The Highland County Press that the townships will not accept the $40 fee.
"I can't understand from looking at the facts and figures how (Holt) came up with $40," Collins said. "I don't understand where that figure came from. We aren't agreeing to that. It's going to be back and forth (negotiations) from here. I hope it doesn't become a lot of back and forth because that takes too long if things don't get resolved."[[In-content Ad]]
Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt sent a letter to Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins on June 28. "After consulting with interested persons in the city, we are proposing $40 per person for fire and EMS combined," Holt said in the letter.
Collins, legal counsel to Hamer, Jackson, Liberty, New Market, Paint and Washington townships, had requested that the city informed them of how much it costs to provide the service to each of the estimated 13,007 people who reside in those townships by June 29. She said that deadline was set so that the townships would have time to analyze figures and review options in the event they needed to put levies on the November general election ballot. The deadline for ballot issues is Aug. 10.
Holt said in his June 28 letter to Collins that her working as legal counsel for the townships "is the one reason we have some hope for resolving the seeming impasse of the past several months as to EMS ... I want to assure you that the city will not in any way attempt to profiteer on these agreements, nor do I expect the townships to avoid paying other than a reasonable part of the costs of services. We will try to be as open with you as our resources permit."
The figure of $40 is $13 more – a 48-percent increase – than a $27 per person fee that was proposed by Hillsboro Auditor Gary Lewis during a June 23 meeting of the finance committee of the Hillsboro City Council.
During that meeting, Lewis said the current cost per year is $17.81. Lewis said that $9.06 would be needed to cover the costs of the equipment, which brings the total to $26.87, which he rounded up to $27 per township resident. It would bring in an additional $113,000 per year. That would be combined with the current "soft billing" that the city does on EMS runs. Looking at the current financials of the townships, Lewis said that Hamer, Liberty, Paint, New Market and Washington townships would not have to put on a new levy for at least five years. Jackson Township might have to put on one within two years.
Residents of the city of Hillsboro pay between $75 and $106 per person for fire coverage, depending on income, for fire and EMS coverage. However, that includes ownership of the building. The townships, according to Lewis, just contract for "labor."
During the meeting, finance committee members Peter Pence, chairperson; and Dave Shoemaker, said they wanted to have some time to look over and analyze the numbers proposed and to consult with committee member Bill Alexander, who was not in attendance. They said they would then set another meeting date prior to the June 29 deadline. However, they have not met since the June 23 meeting.
Lewis told The Highland County Press that he was not consulted on the the city arriving at the $40 per person figure.
"Mr. Holt absolutely did not consult with me, so I don't what justification he has for $40 per person," Lewis said. "I have no information on that. The prosecutor has called me as well and asked me about that and I had to tell her the same thing. I was not consulted by the safety and service director."
When asked how he arrived at the figure, Holt advised The Highland County Press to speak to Pence because, "The finance committee came up with that figure. All I know is that (Pence) contacted me and said that $40 is what they came up with for a fee."
Pence, when asked about the figure, initially said, "That's not the number that came out of the committee. Negotiating is supposed to be Mr. Holt's job. He and the law director (Fred Beery) are are supposed to be the ones negotiating with the townships. They need to take ownership of it as well."
When asked if Holt was incorrect in his assertion that the $40 figure had come from the finance committee, Pence said that it was "not incorrect."
"He keeps wanting to come back and put it on council. Council instructed him what to do once before and he didn't think much of it," Pence said.
A short time after the interview concluded, Pence contacted The Highland County Press and asked to clarify his previous statements, saying that he had initially been "vague," and that the number was not intended to be the final figure that townships would pay. Rather, it was the starting point.
"That $40 number, I did recommend that number to Ralph. But that's just the starting point," Pence said. "I'm sure that's not the number that it's going to end up being. But everyone has kind of been sitting around and we need to get the ball rolling with this. It's a starting point; something to get both sides to the table. We've got a long history with the townships. We've provided service to them for more than 30 years and it's my intent to try to get something worked out that would be beneficial to them and beneficial to us. It's just a starting point."
Collins told The Highland County Press that the townships will not accept the $40 fee.
"I can't understand from looking at the facts and figures how (Holt) came up with $40," Collins said. "I don't understand where that figure came from. We aren't agreeing to that. It's going to be back and forth (negotiations) from here. I hope it doesn't become a lot of back and forth because that takes too long if things don't get resolved."[[In-content Ad]]