Ascutney volunteers still oppose new municipal fire department

By JEFF EPSTEIN
[email protected]
WEATHERSFIELD , Vt.― The select board voted unanimously at Monday’s meeting to “move forward to form” a single municipal fire department, despite the objections of the Ascutney Volunteer Fire Association (VFA), one of its two nonprofit volunteer fire departments.

The vote does not mean a new municipal fire department will immediately be formed, however. The select board will have to decide how to move forward given Ascutney VFA’s objections, and if a paid fire chief is to be hired, as recommended by Town Manager Ed Morris, town meeting in March will have to approve the budget for the position, and perhaps approve associated matters as well.

The board members’ vote followed an hour of sometimes heated discussion between the Ascutney VFA, the West Weathersfield Volunteer Fire Department, and concerned taxpayers in the audience who worried about the prospect of their property taxes going up.

A municipal fire study published earlier this year by Morris recommended a merger between the two volunteer associations. That report referred to recommendations made in 2015 by consultant John Woods. Those recommendations included merging the fire departments under a single chief, improving accountability for purchases of equipment, and improving oversight and communications with the town.

Woods’ report was controversial, however, at the town meeting held on March 4, 2017 to discuss the idea of creating a single fire district. “The discussion made it clear that the departments as well as the public were not in favor of moving in this direction,” the Morris report said.

Still, Morris concluded that the demands of a municipal fire department require a paid, full-time fire chief. He estimated a salary of about $60,000, and adding in benefits, workman’s compensation  and other expenses, he came up with a total estimated annual cost of $107,352. Additional projected  costs for hiring a chief, unspecified by Morris, brought the estimated total to $111,221, according to the report. However, during Monday’s meeting, chair Kelly Murphy said she thought the actual cost would come in lower.

The report also made estimates of savings realized by the merger, such as making equipment adjustments, and maintenance and fuel efficiencies, of $82,000 a year.

Overall, the report said, there might be a significant cost in the first year, and there might have to be  a tax increase of some amount, but the estimated costs do not mean a dollar-for-dollar tax increase. The   merger, however, was also likely to improve fire and emergency medical service for the community. It is up to the select board, said Morris, to decide whether the benefits justify the projected costs.

But at Monday’s meeting, several members of the select board agreed with citizens in the audience who stated it should be left to town meeting to make that judgment.

The West Weathersfield volunteer association, which has been in favor of the merger, announced action to help it along. Chief Josh Dauphin told the select board that his group agreed at its last meeting to turn over all its equipment to the town, and its deed allowed it to lease its firehouse and land to the town for one dollar.

But Mark Girard, the president of the Ascutney association, simply stated, “Ascutney [association] does not wish a municipal fire department.”

In later discussion about how a municipal department could actually be realized, Dauphin said, “Whatever we have to do, that’s what we’ll do.”

But in the Ascutney association, “the membership wants to stay a volunteer nonprofit fire department,” said Girard.

Both volunteer associations are independent nonprofit organizations under Section 501(c) 3 of the tax code, and they contract with Weathersfield to provide fire emergency services.

If the impasse continues,Weathersfield may eventually be looking at creating a municipal department only out of the West Weathersfield house, although Girard insisted his group was still open to a town contract and could somehow provide mutual aid service.