PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FIRE PROTECTION FUNDING … Swancreek Township Trustee Rick Kazmierczak talks about fire protection issues during the trustees’ most recent meeting. Expiring fire contracts, increasing costs and potential increases to the fire levy were all subjects of discussion.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The funding of fire protection contracts and EMS services with area fire departments continued to be a contentious issue at the most recent meeting of the Swancreek Township Board of Trustees.
Much of the trustees’ concern is connected to the township’s agreement with the Swanton Fire and Rescue Division, which has continued to increase in cost.
According to Trustee Rick Kazmierczak, they have been told that the main talking point coming from the department is its total costs of $1 million and how much of that the township is going to fund.
All three contracts are set to expire at the end of the year, drawing criticism from trustees and township officials as to how much funding the departments are requesting and what the township can afford.
“All of these fire departments, all of them, it isn’t just Swanton, it’s not just Delta, they’re all going to have to refigure how this is going to work,” Fiscal Officer Jo Stultz said.
Kazmierczak said the current path was not sustainable and had reported that to county officials, whose response was that it is trustees’ responsibility to negotiate fire contracts.
“But if you have a partner that is not willing to negotiate and continues to want more money, what is the county gonna do when Swancreek Township can’t pass a fire levy and we can’t provide fire coverage for our residents.
“I said then it becomes your issue ‘cause it won’t just be Swancreek Township, it will be Fulton Township. Clinton Township’s fire levy failed this time, they were asking for a one-mill renewal and it failed,” Kazmierczak said.
He said York Township also had two fire levies fail. According to Kazmierczak, the 2015 Delta Community Fire Department contract was $31,000 and they are asking this year for $285,000.
He said Swanton was $66,608 and the township is now paying $258,000, and that Providence was $29,372 and is now $85,000.
“Right now we collect $722,000 for fire levies. By this time next year, we will probably be in the hole with our contracts, which means we’re going to have to put a levy on the ballot.
“Are you willing to vote for a levy that’s gonna charge five or six mills?” Kazmierczak said in response to a question from an attendee.
One option trustees discussed was the potential creation of a fire or EMS district, which would ensure any funding coming from the township would be spent on services in the township.
Kazmierczak said fire chiefs are opposed to such a district because they want to have their own areas.
Fulton County Auditor Brett Kolb will be attending the trustees’ Sept. 14 meeting to discuss further fire levy options. The time for that meeting was also shifted to 6:30 p.m.
It was further reported that trustees had been invited by Fire Chief Jeremy Gillen to attend a Delta Community Fire Department meeting on June 3.
OTHER BUSINESS
Trustees approved a slate of cybersecurity policies to bring the township in line with new state requirements.
Trustees discussed setting policies for monument engraving at cemeteries, including options for preapproving language to be engraved or the possibility of removing monuments or markers if the language on them was deemed to be offensive after the fact.
Trustees discussed a request by residents of several properties on a shared drive off County Road D to have the drive taken over by the township as an official road.
Estimates provided at the meeting showed that the cost for necessary improvements to the road would be at least $100,000, with concerns that there was no turnaround at the end of the drive and the potential inability to set aside appropriate right of way due to the ground falling off to swamp on either side.
Stultz reported the Records Commission simplified the township’s records retention schedule from a wide range of options to either three, five or 10 years, and that the change had been sent to the Ohio History Connection for approval.
The trustees ended the regular portion of their meeting by going into executive session to discuss Water Board applicants.
Prior to the regular meeting, the trustees held a special meeting fully in executive session to interview the applicants.
The next regular meeting of the Swancreek Township Zoning Commission will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 6, at the township offices, located at 5565 County Road D.