Townships meet with legal counsel UPDATED
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
Many township trustees met with Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey Wednesday night at the Liberty Township building to discuss legal options regarding the city of Hillsboro's recent notice that EMS services would be cancelled as of June 30.
On March 17 Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt sent a letter to representatives of Hamer, Jackson, Liberty, New Market, Paint, Penn and Washington townships giving them 90 days' notice of the EMS services cancellation. The 2011 fire contract had a stipulation that stated services will be provided through the end of the year for free, with the paid fire services.
Chief Jerry Powell and Assistant Chief Ed Puckett of Hillsboro Fire and Rescue were present at the beginning of the Wednesday meeting, but were told to leave by Grandey.
Although some trustees had invited The Highland County Press to attend, the reporter was asked to leave as well.
Grandey said he would be glad to answer whatever questions the media had following the meeting, but he was meeting as an attorney with his clients, and that is private.
Puckett said that townships had to follow Sunshine Laws and that with so many trustees and fiscal officers there, some if not all the townships had to have a quorum of trustees.
Highland County Commissioner Shane Wilkin and Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward were also in attendance, and were invited to stay for the meeting.
The meeting had not been advertised as a public meeting.
Puckett and Powell had come up with a proposal for the townships regarding services. Both said it is a potentially dangerous, life and death situation for the 44,000 people who live in the seven affected townships if fire services are cancelled.
Powell said that Holt and Hillsboro Mayor Dick Zink have seen their proposal.
As previously reported in The Highland County Press, the city previously had not included EMS charges in the fire contracts. In May, when the city proposed new contracts to the townships, they included EMS charges. That initial contract proposal to the townships had increases in services between 42 percent and 76.34 percent for the individual townships. The Ohio revised code prohibits levy funds designated to pay for fire services to be used for EMS services. Most of the townships have indicated they will need to take the issue of a separate EMS levy to the voters.
The townships submitted a letter to the city, dated Nov. 16, saying they would agree to the 18 percent increase in 2011 for the fire contract only provided, however, that the city of Hillsboro continue to provide EMS services to the townships at no extra charge through, and including, Dec. 31, 2011. Council voted 5-2 to accept the contract, with council members Rod Daniels and Mary Brown Turner voting against it.
Holt told The Highland County Press last week that the city is operating on a budget that is too tight to sustain that contract and cannot afford the services to the end of the year. In February, council passed a budget for 2011 that has a projected carryover into 2012 of $70,000.
Many township trustees met with Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey Wednesday night at the Liberty Township building to discuss legal options regarding the city of Hillsboro's recent notice that EMS services would be canceled as of June 30.
On March 17, Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt sent a letter to representatives of Hamer, Jackson, Liberty, New Market, Paint, Penn and Washington townships giving them 90 days' notice of the EMS services cancellation. The 2011 fire contract had a stipulation that stated services will be provided through the end of the year for free, with the paid fire services.
Chief Jerry Powell and Assistant Chief Ed Puckett of Hillsboro Fire and Rescue were present at the beginning of the Wednesday meeting but were told to leave by Grandey.
Although some trustees had invited The Highland County Press to attend, the reporter was asked to leave as well.
Grandey said he would be glad to answer whatever questions the media had following the meeting, but he was meeting as an attorney with his clients, and that is private.
Puckett said that townships had to follow Sunshine Laws and that with so many trustees and fiscal officers there, some, if not all, of the townships had to have a quorum of trustees.
Highland County Commissioner Shane Wilkin and Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward were also in attendance and were invited to stay for the meeting.
The meeting had not been advertised as a public meeting.
Puckett and Powell had come up with a proposal for the townships regarding services. Both said it is a potentially dangerous, life and death situation for the 44,000 people who live in the seven affected townships if fire services are canceled.
Powell said that Holt and Hillsboro Mayor Dick Zink have seen their proposal.
As previously reported in The Highland County Press, the city previously had not included EMS charges in the fire contracts. In May, when the city proposed new contracts to the townships, they included EMS charges. That initial contract proposal to the townships had increases in services between 42 percent and 76.34 percent for the individual townships. The Ohio revised code prohibits levy funds designated to pay for fire services to be used for EMS services. Most of the townships have indicated they will need to take the issue of a separate EMS levy to the voters.
The townships submitted a letter to the city, dated Nov. 16, saying they would agree to the 18-percent increase in 2011 for the fire contract only provided, however, that the city of Hillsboro continue to provide EMS services to the townships at no extra charge through, and including, Dec. 31, 2011. Council voted 5-2 to accept the contract, with council members Rod Daniels and Mary Brown Turner voting against it.
Holt told The Highland County Press last week that the city is operating on a budget that is too tight to sustain that contract and cannot afford the services to the end of the year. In February, council passed a budget for 2011 that has a projected carryover into 2012 of $70,000.
Following the meeting, Grandey contacted The Highland County Press and said that they were still exploring options.
"I'm not saying that's not an option. But we're looking at everything."
[[In-content Ad]]Following the meeting, Grandey contacted The Highland County Press and said that they were still exploring options.
"All I did was advise them to keep exploring all the options and discussed what some of them are, either contracting with another agency or what have you," Grandey said. "The problem is, as we have told them before, it's not a matter of paying for the services, it's how much and how. We can't pay it out of fire money for the EMS. We're still looking at ways to pay. So I told them each township needs to go back and tell their trustees to keep exploring options to get something resolved. Which is where we've been seen last August."
Grandey said he knew the Hillsboro firefighters were upset at not being asked to stay, but that he needed to privately advise his clients and respect attorney/client privilege.
"They are employees of the city of Hillsboro and they have their own legal counsel," Grandey said. "These folks are just representatives of the townships meeting with me as their legal counsel. We were just there to discuss options. I can't have a meeting with my clients with the other side's employees there. Not that they would do anything. It's just not proper. Just like how I was told Mr. (Fred) Beery (Hillsboro Law Director) may be attempting to contact some of the townships directly. Unless (the townships) request it, that shouldn't happen. All contact should be between me and him. It wasn't anything personal. That's just the way we have to do things now."
"I'm not saying that's not an option. But we're looking at everything."