By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Funding issues related to fire service were the subject of a discussion during Wednesday’s meeting of the Swanton Economic Development Commission.
According to Mayor Neil Toeppe, the village signed its current fire contract with Swancreek Township five years ago and held up its end of the bargain, but the township has failed to follow through on its funding promises.
As part of the contract, Toeppe said, the village agreed to improve its staffing, equipment, and training. Since then—both in adherence to their promises and for the betterment of the village itself—the Swanton Fire and Rescue Division has increased from 17 staff to being fully staffed with 34 employees, gone from two paramedics to 12, increased annual training from 200 hours to 2,000 hours, purchased new equipment, and, as a result of the combined improvements, increased the village’s ISO rating from 5A to 4A.
The funding agreement stemmed from the fact that, prior to the contract, village residents who were also located within the township were paying taxes on fire levies for both governments despite Swanton providing the service.
In the contract, the village agreed to no longer charge combined village/township residents for their fire levy so the residents weren’t being double charged, with the agreement that the township would fill the gap in funding.
Now, Toeppe said, the township is saying it doesn’t have the money to make good on its commitment, and the village is being forced to use money from its general fund to cover the loss.
He said the village “cannot just sustain that indefinitely,” and that the gap is “well into six figures.”
Negotiation on the new contract has not yet started, but Toeppe said if the situation doesn’t change, the only two options (“neither good”) are for the village to try to pass a new levy on its township residents or to conform the boundaries of the village and township and cease providing service to township residents outside the village limits.
Further complicating the village’s efforts to fund its emergency services is the proposed reduction in Fulton County EMS levy funding.
Toeppe reported the village had been receiving $700,000, but the county commissioners want to reallocate the funding and reduce the village’s share to $650,000.
PARK LEVY
At the same time that fire funding is feeling the pinch, the village is trying to pass a new park levy. Under the expired levy, the village raised less than $80,000 per year, which Village Administrator Shannon Shulters said was barely enough to cover the maintenance and single maintenance employee for the parks.
According to an email from Shulters in response to media requests, existing funding has not kept pace with the increased costs associated with the parks.
“The proposed levy on the May ballot is a 1.50-mill levy for a period of five years and is projected to generate approximately $145,000 to $160,000 annually. This reflects a more realistic funding level needed to properly maintain park facilities, address ongoing improvements, and plan responsibly for the future,” Shulters wrote.
FORMER ELKS BUILDING
Shulters also chimed in on another effort she has been leading for the past several years, reporting that the village was closing on the purchase of the former Elks building that day.
The building had drawn interest from developers in the past, with one purchase attempt getting almost to close before the owner pulled out.
Tracking down that owner has been the biggest challenge, with Shulters stating he lived in Michigan, Florida, and Arizona before moving to his current home in West Virginia. In that time, the building fell into disrepair, with the roof partially collapsing.
Shulters said the village had to hire a firm to approach the owner directly—leaving cards and even staking out his apartment—before they finally made contact.
The plan was initially to take the building through eminent domain, but in a surprise turn of events, the owner accepted their good faith offer of approximately $31,000. Making that offer was a required step in the process of eminent domain.
Due to the building being physically against the two buildings on either side, it will have to be deconstructed rather than just torn down.
Shulters said she has been in touch with Fulton County Commissioners President Joe Short, who said the Fulton County Land Bank has a grant opportunity for situations like this. She is now seeking updated quotes for the work.
Shulters also reported the now-former owner “owes a lot of people money,” including for workers compensation and back property tax, and that a significant amount of the payment for the building will end up diverted to those purposes.
The next meeting of the Swanton Economic Development Commission is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, at EJ Ritter Hall, 124 N. Main Street.
