MONROE - The Monroe Rural Fire District covering the towns of Monroe, Clarno and part of Sylvester, is nearing approval of a new contract with the city, which would increase rates by 50 percent in 2014 and double them in 2015.
But the district's board is waiting to see if Sylvester township will be part of the district after the first of the year.
One township supervisor, Mike Hasse, said Sylvester's board has not made any decisions yet, has taken no vote on the issue and is looking at options with the Juda or the Albany fire department as its primary fire department.
"At this point in time, they are only options," he said.
If the township declines to participate in the new contract, it would have to walk away from its investment in the district's firefighting equipment, as much as $100,000. Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch also cautioned that residents on the western side of the township, and particularly on the northwestern corner, could see their fire insurance rates go up because of the distance they would be from their fire station.
Furthermore, Monroe Fire Department would not respond to a fire call in Sylvester township, until requested as backup aid from the primary fire department.
Sylvester Township Board is scheduled to meet at 8 a.m. Nov. 20 to discuss its membership in the district, and Rausch said he would be on hand to answer any questions.
At a meeting Thursday, Nov. 7, the fire district board took another look at the verbal agreement it made with the city last month, which includes a flat-rate fee based on call history and average costs over a rolling five-year period, plus an annual fire department readiness fee.
While Rausch said the city's administration fee would not be increased for five years, other factors, such as wages, equipment and time spent per call would vary annually. However, in a study he did looking at the past 10 years of rural calls, the total charge would vary only about $1,000 up or down each year, he said.
The city is asking for a total of about $104,000 annually to cover the extra expenses incurred by the city department for maintaining and responding to rural calls.
Under the new rates, the townships would be paying less than 20 percent of the department's operations, while generating 32 to 35 percent of the response calls and about 38 percent of the labor costs, according to Rausch.
Currently, the townships are contributing about 6 to 10 percent of the department's cost, he added.
Using the terms the district and Rausch settled upon last month, and with the city's Public Safety Committee approval of them on Monday, Nov. 4, the city is in the process of drafting the contract. The Common Council is expected to vote on approving the contract at a regular meeting Tuesday, Dec. 3.
The Monroe Rural Fire District is scheduled to meet Thursday, Dec. 5 to review the contract and possibly vote to approve it.
Even if the Town of Sylvester decides to withdraw from the Monroe Rural Fire District, Rausch said the individual costs to the towns of Monroe and Clarno will not change.
Under a two year phase-in, with a 75-percent step in 2014, the towns of Monroe and Clarno would pay about $31,000 each in 2014, and going to 100 percent in 2015, about $42,000. The Town of Sylvester, because only about one-half of it is in the district, would pay $15,500 in 2014 and $20,800 in 2015.
The towns may then bill the residents or automobile owners who have fires to recoup some of their cost. Rausch recommended $750 per hour for fire department services.
Insurance to cover fire department response costs is available, most often as an add-on and not as part of the fire loss insurance coverage. It ranges from $5 to $10 per $1,000 of coverage, according to County Clerk Mike Doyle. Rural residents could easily pay up to $4,000 to cover fire department services for a house fire, according to Rausch.
But the district's board is waiting to see if Sylvester township will be part of the district after the first of the year.
One township supervisor, Mike Hasse, said Sylvester's board has not made any decisions yet, has taken no vote on the issue and is looking at options with the Juda or the Albany fire department as its primary fire department.
"At this point in time, they are only options," he said.
If the township declines to participate in the new contract, it would have to walk away from its investment in the district's firefighting equipment, as much as $100,000. Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch also cautioned that residents on the western side of the township, and particularly on the northwestern corner, could see their fire insurance rates go up because of the distance they would be from their fire station.
Furthermore, Monroe Fire Department would not respond to a fire call in Sylvester township, until requested as backup aid from the primary fire department.
Sylvester Township Board is scheduled to meet at 8 a.m. Nov. 20 to discuss its membership in the district, and Rausch said he would be on hand to answer any questions.
At a meeting Thursday, Nov. 7, the fire district board took another look at the verbal agreement it made with the city last month, which includes a flat-rate fee based on call history and average costs over a rolling five-year period, plus an annual fire department readiness fee.
While Rausch said the city's administration fee would not be increased for five years, other factors, such as wages, equipment and time spent per call would vary annually. However, in a study he did looking at the past 10 years of rural calls, the total charge would vary only about $1,000 up or down each year, he said.
The city is asking for a total of about $104,000 annually to cover the extra expenses incurred by the city department for maintaining and responding to rural calls.
Under the new rates, the townships would be paying less than 20 percent of the department's operations, while generating 32 to 35 percent of the response calls and about 38 percent of the labor costs, according to Rausch.
Currently, the townships are contributing about 6 to 10 percent of the department's cost, he added.
Using the terms the district and Rausch settled upon last month, and with the city's Public Safety Committee approval of them on Monday, Nov. 4, the city is in the process of drafting the contract. The Common Council is expected to vote on approving the contract at a regular meeting Tuesday, Dec. 3.
The Monroe Rural Fire District is scheduled to meet Thursday, Dec. 5 to review the contract and possibly vote to approve it.
Even if the Town of Sylvester decides to withdraw from the Monroe Rural Fire District, Rausch said the individual costs to the towns of Monroe and Clarno will not change.
Under a two year phase-in, with a 75-percent step in 2014, the towns of Monroe and Clarno would pay about $31,000 each in 2014, and going to 100 percent in 2015, about $42,000. The Town of Sylvester, because only about one-half of it is in the district, would pay $15,500 in 2014 and $20,800 in 2015.
The towns may then bill the residents or automobile owners who have fires to recoup some of their cost. Rausch recommended $750 per hour for fire department services.
Insurance to cover fire department response costs is available, most often as an add-on and not as part of the fire loss insurance coverage. It ranges from $5 to $10 per $1,000 of coverage, according to County Clerk Mike Doyle. Rural residents could easily pay up to $4,000 to cover fire department services for a house fire, according to Rausch.
