New Market residents want more information on township fire district; will not join Hillsboro

After two hours of discussion on numbers, logistics, services and the tax dollars needed to start a new fire district, residents of New Market Township said Monday there is a lot of information they still need before they can give full support to a proposed township fire district. However, in an informal vote, they said they do not want to join a fire district with the city of Hillsboro.

They are the third township within a week to express unofficial intent to not join Hillsboro's proposed district.

Residents expressed that they remain concerned over what happens if a levy will not pass in November to support the district and that the current proposed cost could be at an estimated $100 per person per year. For 2012, the townships are paying $22 per person.

While the days of just contracting with the city for the services are over, the trustees said, in a few years there may be the possibility of a county-wide fire district forming between all of the individual Highland County area fire districts.

The New Market Township Board of Trustees held a public forum Monday evening at the Hopewell Center on New Market Road for residents to ask question and express opinions on the future of the township's EMS and fire services.

As in previous public meetings held in Hamer and Washington townships, legal counsel for the townships, Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins, explained the history of the negotiations with the city of Hillsboro for the EMS and fire services.

Trustees Lowell Sullivan, Kenny Harless, Tom Juillerat and fiscal officer Dick Barrera said that they wanted to know what the township residents want. However, all the options they currently have for emergency services are going to be much more expensive than what they are currently paying.

"It's going to be more, no matter what happens," Sullivan said. "We've (paid a low rate for several years)."

On April 27, according to Collins, the city of Hillsboro gave notice that the townships must state their intention to join a proposed district with the city by May 18. The city will no longer contract for the services with the townships beginning in 2013, and it has been stated the townships must either join the proposed fire district with the city or seek an alternative option.

The remaining townships - New Market, Liberty, Washington and Jackson - are working on forming their own district without the city. While no official votes have been taken to move forward, Collins said the trustees have been working with Chief Bradley George of the Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District in Greenfield and Chief David Manning from the Lynchburg Area Joint Fire and Ambulance District, regarding what it takes to get a good district up and running.

"We have never started started a fire district before," Collins said, referring to herself and the trustees. "That is why we went to Chief George and Chief Manning. I trust them, and they have been through this and know what needs to happen to get a district started."

It was pointed out that when those two district formed they were based on existing fire departments. The proposed township-only district would be completely from scratch. Collins said that is why they are relying on George and Manning.

Collins said there is an estimated operating budget of $704,000 that will be needed for the proposed district if Liberty, New Market, Jackson and Washington all decide to join. Collins said that independently, New Market did not have enough funds in their fire reserves to start their own fire station. If Liberty joins, the district could be as small as two townships, she said.

"We are hoping for all four townships," Collins said.

Collins and the trustees said that information is still pending from the city regarding how many mills their proposed district will cost. However, they estimated that it will be approximately be as much as the township's proposed district - between 5.2 and 5.5 mills.

Unofficial figures regarding the townships' populations were given at: New Market - 1,888; Liberty - 3,700 (non-city residents); Washington - 1,123; and Jackson - "less than 1,000."

Some New Market residents did the math during the meeting and said that that dividing the total population of the four townships into the proposed $704,000 operating budget was nearly $92 per person for the services.

One resident asked why the townships didn't keep contracting with Hillsboro at $22. Collins said they had tried, but the city has said these negotiations were final. Collins said they attempted to negotiate for $27 for five years, and also in increasing increments over a three-year period, but it was rejected by the city.

After Collins, again, referred to the "city administration" one resident asked, "Can you name the people in the city administration who don't want to extend contracts to the townships for fire services?"

Collins said, "We've been dealing with Mayor Drew Hastings, and Laura Curliss, the assistant law director, and safety and service director Rick Giroux. They're telling us collectively, 'No.'"

Someone asked, "Don't the council members have any say in this?"

Collins said, "According to the three of them, that is city council's wish, as well. We have requested that a member of city council come to a meeting to talk with us (but council members have not)."

The matter of the fire district has not been a subject of open discussion during Hillsboro City Council meetings in 2012.

There was heavy criticism of the Hillsboro administration from New Market Townships residents Monday evening. The Highland County Press placed calls to Mayor Hastings' cell phone seeking comment, and to give the administration a chance to respond to the criticism. Those calls were not returned.

The township trustees noted that the issues with the fire contract negotiations began under the previous city administration.

In February, during a special meeting of the Hillsboro City Council to consider the 2012 EMS and fire contracts with the township, there was no discussion or questions on the matter from the Hillsboro City Council members.

Immediately following that meeting, Hastings had said he was "optimistic" about the future of the proposed fire district.

"We're not going to have fire problems after this year, one way or another," Hastings said following the February council meeting. "People are often suspicious when you try to give away power. They're not quite believing when you say you want to give away power you have, but that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to make it more of a democracy." 

If the price of each fire district was going to be approximately the same, Collins and the trustees were asked why the townships just didn't go ahead and join Hillsboro's proposed district.

The trustees gave the following reasons why they did not want to join:

• They do not believe the voters of Hillsboro would pass a levy to support the district.

• The city wants to have three representatives on the district's board of trustees while the townships each get one. Smaller townships such as Washington and Jackson would potentially only get one representative for the two townships.

• The fire district may have to keep the current contract that Hillsboro has with its firefighters' union.

• The district would have to pay the estimated $134,000 a year that is left on the city's bond for the fire station. However, once it is paid off, the city would own the building, not the fire district.

"Other trustees have said before, there is no incentive for the people of Hillsboro to vote for a fire district levy," Collins said, because the city's earning tax would not be taken off.

Collins said that people who currently work in the city pay an earnings tax, which is normally earmarked for police and fire protection. However, Collins said the city has stated they will not roll off the earnings tax, so the estimated 5.2- to 5.5-mill levy would have to be paid on top of that. 

Sullivan said New Market currently has a 2-mill fire protection levy, and if the district is formed that levy will drop off. He said the township residents would have to pay approximately 3.5 mills more than they are paying now. That would be approximately $110 more per year on a home valued at $100,000, the trustees said.

Collins said that figure would bring in enough to run the proposed district, while giving them "wiggle room" for the possible future expansion of a sub-station in the Washington or Jackson township area.

The trustees have looked into securing a building for a station "somewhere between Hillsboro and New Market," Sullivan said, regarding the main station.

The levy for a township fire district would have to pass by a majority of all participating township residents, Collins said. If the levy fails, the townships could be without the protection and emergency services.

Collins said they have found used equipment and trucks and squads to outfit the proposed district, and that part-time and volunteer firefighters from current area district have expressed interest in joining as full-time staff members. They would consider hiring a chief, assistant chief, clerk and nine full-time firefighters that will also have EMT or paramedic training.

Concern was expressed over having used equipment or personnel who might not be trained up to the standards of Hillsboro Fire and Rescue. Collins and the New Market residents praised the work of the Hillsboro firefighters and expressed their issues were with the city administration and not the employees.

When asked if the district personnel would be unionized, Collins said it would be up to the employees, but that unions were not always a bad thing "if you keep it in check," and there had been a lot of success with Paint Creek's union.

One resident said they did not want to pay firefighters $100,000 a year.

Chief Jerry Powell of Hillsboro Fire and Rescue stood and asked to speak, saying that the city had done away with the system that allowed fire department personnel to pyramid their overtime, resulting in earnings of more than $100,000 a year. Additionally, part-time personnel and volunteers were now used, which also cut down on additional overtime.

"Their regular pay is in line with unions in other cities," Powell said, and that they have to work 53 hours a week "at the same pay" before they can get overtime, while Hillsboro police officer have to work 40 hours before they can get overtime.

One township resident turned to the person sitting next to him and asked, "How many hours do you have to work on your farm before you get overtime?"

Some New Market residents asked if there were any Liberty Township representatives present, and what they planned on doing during their public meeting scheduled for Tuesday night.

Liberty Township Trustees Jerry Williams and Steve Lerch said they were waiting to see what their constituents had to say.

"I don't think we have much of a choice, I'll be honest with you," Williams said. "I think we're leaning toward forming a district."

Williams said that most people already knew by now, so he said that the trustees were looking at the building that previously housed Chuck Wait Tire on U.S. 62 between Hillsboro and New Market as a potential location for a fire station. While there have been meetings held regarding the property, no money has been discussed. It would be cheaper than building a new structure, Williams said, and would give them room to expand in the future.

While some people said they were happy a station would be located closer to New Market, others expressed concern that it would be farther away from some areas of Liberty Township.

Collins said, "We're modeling this after Greenfield's district (Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District) so that we can give you the best services that we can for your money."

"Our backs are against the wall. We have to do something," Williams said.

Williams said that he didn't want to keep finding the townships "in the same boat" every year with negotiations on the services.

Collins said, "Every township that I've spoken to, the biggest complaint that they've had is that there is no stability in contracting with Hillsboro. It's back and forth, it's 'Well, we're mad, tomorrow you're not going to have service.' It's back and forth, back and forth."

Collins said she lives in Paint Township, which now receives services from Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District, and "where I live, in the dead center between Hillsboro and Greenfield, the fire department is not going to be able to save my house by the time they get there. That's the cost of living in the country. But, I also live on a farm, and if we have an accident, somebody is coming. I don't have to worry that tomorrow that service is being jerked out from underneath me. It's stable."

At the conclusion of the meeting, Collins asked for a show of hands for those who wanted to join the city's district, with no response. When asked who wanted to start a township fire district, there was a clear majority of hands raised.

Liberty Township will hold a public meeting Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. at Hills and Dales.