SNOW HILL – Citing the need for more information, county officials opted not to grant local fire companies a new response allocation.
The Worcester County Commissioners voted 5-2 on Tuesday not to create a new per run allocation for local fire companies. They said they wanted to see companies’ financial information before making a change to current practices.
“The reality is, at this point in time we don’t have financials and for us to make a decision on the budgetary amount I don’t think is fair to the commissioners and I don’t think it’s really fair to you because we don’t have an opportunity to view what is or isn’t a good decision,” Commissioner Chip Bertino told fire company representatives.
For several months, the Worcester County Fire-EMS Strategic Planning Committee — made up of fire company representatives and county officials — has been working to develop a long-term funding solution for fire companies throughout the county. Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said committee discussions had revealed that the $1,000 per run allocation given to companies resulted in some responding to scenes even after they were called off. To address that, the committee suggested creating a new $500 allocation that would be given to companies who were on their way to a scene when they were called off.
Commissioner Josh Nordstrom said the arguments made by the first responders were compelling.
“If they get called back, or their call is canceled, they have to decide whether to keep going, or turn around and go back and not get paid,” he said. “That’s a very difficult decision for them to make because they’ve already expended some resources to go part of the way, half way there. This seemed like a very good compromise because as we were told … they would rather turn around and go back because they’d prefer to keep their equipment closer to the majority of the people that they serve in the station.”
Mitrecic agreed and pointed out that it could actually save the county money.
Bertino said he felt it was a budget item and should be decided during the budget process. He pointed out the county also didn’t yet have the financial records requested from each fire company.
Commissioner Jim Bunting said it could take two or three more committee meetings before the county had the financial records it wanted. He was surprised to learn of the issue with the per-run allocation.
“As a member of this committee, I made it very clear the last meeting this was something that in fact I was shocked when I was made to realize rather than turn around they would go get the money and I said I hoped that would change,” he said.
Nordstrom said he felt the $500 allocation for canceled calls needed to be put in place immediately, so commissioners could know the impact of the change before the next budget cycle. His motion to enact the change failed to get a second.
Bertino maintained financial records should come first.
“Before and until we get that information, how can we make a determination as a group as to whether or not the funding for this makes sense, if it’s the right amount, if it’s not the right amount?” he said.
Ocean City Fire Chief Richie Bowers told the commissioners this was an operational issue that had come up.
“It came up in our discussion about how can we make this better?” he said. “How can we provide better service to the people we serve? That’s the end result.”
He praised the commissioners for creating the committee. He thanked them for listening to fire company representatives when they said change was needed and praised them for funding several high priority items already.
“And for that we congratulate you, we also appreciate and thank you,” he said. “And who is the return on investment for right now? The citizens we serve. That’s who benefits from this. So thank you.”
He echoed Mitrecic’s assertion that this could be a cost saving measure for the county.
“That’s wonderful,” Bertino said. “Just give us the financials so we can move forward to that, so we can agree that we can move forward. I don’t think we should make a decision in a vacuum. We don’t have all the information and it’s not the right time to make that decision.”
Commissioner Ted Elder said he too would like to see financial data before making a decision.
David Fitzgerald, president of the Berlin Fire Company, said companies had been providing the county with financial information for years.
“It’s a one-page annual sheet,” Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young said.
Elder said that form had been created when the county’s funding formula was totally different than it is now.
“It’s a whole new animal,” he said. “I think the forms need to be updated.”
Mitrecic said the per-run allocation was an operational issue the committee wanted brought to the commissioners’ attention.
“That’s why it was brought forward,” he said. “I’ve been doing this a long time and everybody I’ve ever sat with, when they want to postpone something they said they needed more information. Either stand up and say you don’t want to do it or stand up and say you do want to do it. Their financials, as opposed to this operational issue, is not an issue.”
Bertino made a motion to revisit the per-run allocation once the county had access to the fire companies’ financial information. It passed 5-2, with Nordstrom and Mitrecic opposed.
“I think another six months is not going to make or break the situation,” Elder said.
