In a split vote on Jan. 27, the Franklin Town Council voted to allocate $200,000 toward a new truck for Franklin Fire and Rescue.
The need for two new fire trucks was discussed during last year’s budget sessions. In June, Franklin Town Manager Amie Owens and Fire Chief Ben Ormond approached the Macon County Board of Commissioners about increasing the Franklin Fire Department’s fire tax rate to help pay for the trucks. The county commissioners set the fire tax rate for all the fire districts in the county. The commissioners did not approve the increase request and set the 2023-24 fire tax rates for all districts at a revenue neutral rate due to the property revaluation last year.
Ormond has previously talked with the Town Council about the town helping to pay for the trucks. The council members acknowledged the need but have been hesitant to start paying for fire department expenses from the general fund, especially when so much of the fire district lays outside the town limits.
“It is almost surreal how big the district is outside the city limits,” said council member David Culpepper while looking at a map during the council’s retreat on Jan. 27.
The town advertised for RFPs for a fire truck last year but only two vendors responded. It was readvertised Oct. 30-Dec. 1 with three responses received. The three bids were from Melton Fire Group/Toyne ($883,032.22), C.W. Williams ($934,886) and Atlantic Emergency Solutions ($1,044,771).
Owens advised the Town Council at the Jan. 2 meeting that they needed to select a vendor so they could begin negotiations
“I don’t think we have enough money in our account to write a check for this, is that right?” said Mayor Jack Horton.
“You are correct,” Owens said. “I would love to say that, but we do not.”
Council members Joe Collins and Culpepper have been the most vocal in saying the fire district tax, not the town, should pay for the department’s expenses. That discussion continued at the Jan. 2 council meeting and the Jan. 27 retreat.
Collins said he did not want to set a precedent with the county looking to the town to fund the differences in fire department expenses.
“I believe we need a fire truck, and we have to find a way to pay for it,” Culpepper said.
As he has noted at previous meetings, Culpepper said the district needs to pay responsibly toward the district’s expenses, and it should not be a burden on the town’s taxpayers.
“We are not the purse string holders for the Franklin Fire Department, the county is that. The county sets our fire tax,” Culpepper said.
“We need the district to pay for the fire truck,” Culpepper said, adding that the fire department should operate separately, just as the town’s Water and Sewer Fund operates separately from the general fund. “I want to keep these two things separate.”
Owens said some municipalities supplement their municipal fire departments by helping to pay employees’ salaries or with one-time capital purchases. “You can use the general fund to support the fire department,” she said.
The fire department asked the town for $200,000 to put toward the down payment on the truck. “Without the $200,000 we cannot afford the fire truck,” Ormond said at the Jan. 2 meeting.
Ormond said the Toyne truck was the only one that met all their specifications. “The other trucks were missing several key components, to include scene lighting and water tank capacity,” the chief stated in his recommendation letter.
The company offers a pre-pay discount of $54,785 if 50% of the cost is paid within 30 days of the contract signing. The chief requested the town pay $200,000 and the fire department will pay the remaining $241,516 from its fund balance. The balance due would be $441,516.32, plus tax, title and fees. It is estimated it will take 825 days for the truck to be built and delivered.
Vice Mayor Stacy Guffey said, “I don’t want $200,000 to stand in the way of us getting a fire truck.” Both he and the mayor noted the longer it is delayed the more the truck will cost.
Ormond said the truck will be designed primarily for municipal use. “Primarily to serve the citizens of our town.”
The council approved Melton/Toyne as the vendor at the Jan. 2 meeting. A resolution authorizing the appropriations for the truck was presented at the council’s retreat on Jan. 27. Before the vote on Saturday, Collins said, “It’s a red herring in a lot of ways.” He said if the town starts subsidizing the fire district this year it will lead to requests in future years. “It will become a line item in our budget.”
Collins said over time it would shift responsibility to the town but would not result in any more money for the fire department.
“This does not solve our problem,” said Culpepper. “It is irresponsible of us to subsidize the fire district.”
Culpepper went on to say with the town helping to pay fire department expenses it absolves the county commissioners of not raising the fire tax.
“The budget of the fire department should accurately reflect its needs,” Culpepper said. He pointed out that in the past year the town and the state have subsidized construction of the new substation and now a new truck. “That is not sustainable.”
Council member Mike Lewis agreed, but said he is not willing to let someone’s house burn down because the town didn’t help the department buy a new truck.
The resolution passed 4-2 with Collins and Culpepper opposed. Following that vote, Culpepper made a motion stating that as the council serves as the Board of Directors for the Franklin Fire Department that they advocate that the county commissioners set the fire tax so the town does not have to supplement the fire department’s budget. The motion passed unanimously.