By Karissa Minn
kminn@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY – County commissioners say they want more information about how volunteer fire departments spend money, but they’re not looking for more control.
The Rowan County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution Monday that sets certain requirements of the county’s fire departments.
First, it formalizes a rule that each fire district board must hold a public hearing before raising the fire tax in that district.
The resolution also requires each volunteer fire department to list purchases of $20,000 or greater in its proposed budget. And if a department makes a capital purchase of $20,000 or more that was not budgeted, it now must notify commissioners.
The board voted 3-1 to approve the document, with Commissioner Jon Barber opposing it. Commissioner Raymond Coltrain was absent from Monday’s meeting.
Five firefighters spoke against the resolution Monday, including Mike Zimmerman, chief of Bostian Heights Fire Department and president of the Rowan County Fire and Rescue Association.
The first version of the document set a $10,000 threshold, and Zimmerman said that was too low. It wouldn’t cover the cost of two air packs or sets of turnout gear, he said.
Travis Summitt, a firefighter with Cleveland Fire Department, said he was concerned that the resolution could cost the county a lot of money.
“In the current environment, it’s very important that we act quickly on a quality piece of apparatus, and with this resolution, we can’t do so,” Summitt said.
Summitt said his department purchased a used truck a couple years ago for about $60,000. The same truck would have cost $750,000 to $900,000 brand new, he said, and waiting to “jump through hoops” could force departments to buy new equipment.
After the meeting, Summitt said most of his concerns were eased by commissioners.
“The only issue I have now is with notifying them about (purchases made with) monies that come from fund raisers, not taxes,” he said.
David Linker, who has served with Rockwell, South Salisbury and Locke fire departments, asked about the reason for the resolution.
Later in the meeting, Chairman Chad Mitchell answered him.
The county already requires its volunteer fire districts to hold public hearings if they want to raise their tax rates.
During the most recent budget process, Mitchell said, commissioners were asked by several fire departments where that requirement is in writing. After that, they decided to write it into a resolution.
Then, another issue came up more recently. Mitchell said some banks require the county to submit a letter of support when a volunteer fire department wants to borrow money, so the county should know what those loans are paying for.
“The passage of this resolution, even in its exact draft form, is not a requirement that this board approve any fire department purchase,” Mitchell said. “If you have been told that, if you believe that, if you read that into the resolution – that is not what this resolution does.”
He said fire departments can go ahead and make urgent purchases, including those that must be made quickly to save money. They just need to contact the board clerk to let commissioners know about it, he said.
Commissioner Jim Sides said fire departments normally allow for items in their budget that they know they need to replace, like uniforms and air packs.
This resolution only involves items that haven’t been budgeted, he said. Many large purchases create future liabilities, and sometimes fire districts request tax increases to pay for them.
“We’d simply like to know what’s going on so that we can make informed decisions when we vote on these budgets,” Sides said.
Barber asked if the county board is receiving complaints about the volunteer fire departments, if it is having problems with the fire commissioners it appoints, if it can more effectively provide oversight and if there is a plan in place for fire districts who are funded by more than one county.
“My answer to each of those questions is no,” he said.
Vice Chairman Carl Ford said he has received questions about purchases that the fire departments have made, and he often can’t answer them.
“It would be nice to know about these things, just so we can have the information,” he said.
Ford said there has been some misinformation spread around, which can happen when commissioners go to the public and “stir things up.”
“I won’t say that happened on this one. It may or may not have,” he said. “I just wish that things weren’t blown out of proportion from time to time.”
Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.
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