Fire Dept. Seeks Assistance From Town
February 12, 2020 at 12:55 a.m.
Fire Dept. Seeks Assistance From Town
By Denise Federow-
Fire Chief Todd Haines explained the department’s 16 air packs are currently not in compliance and need to be replaced. He said they received a $10,000 grant from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation but still need $130,000 and he wondered what the town could do to help.
Council President Doug Ruch asked Van Buren Township Trustee Rebecca Alles what the township could do and she said the money they have in the cumulative capital fire fund is earmarked for a pumper truck that needs to be replaced this year. She said she’d probably have to keep the cumulative capital tax going.
Councilman Kenneth Long said his concern was if they’re replacing them all at once they’re going to run into the same problem again and wondered if they could stagger replacing them so they could avoid such a huge expense at one time.
Haines said right now, none of the air packs are in compliance and partly because of changes. He said with the current air packs, the PASS device comes on after a certain amount of time with no movement and sends an alarm. With the new ones, as soon as you turn on the air pack, the PASS device comes on. The new ones also have a 40-minute bottle while the current packs have a 30-minute one. He said they also need additional bottles for a total of 46.
Alles said getting the fire department in compliance will get the town a better ISO rating, which affects individuals’ and business’s insurance ratings.
Ruch asked if they were able to find a way to fund the request, would the township be willing to help later. Alles said the township is not opposed, but “we’ve been spending a lot of money on fire.”
Alles said the cumulative fire fund has been generating about $95,000 a year so she thinks they’d be able to do half of the $130,000.
Fire Training Officer Brian Haines said, “We hate coming to you guys but it’s something we have to be passionate about this with our firemen.”
Ruch thought they could possibly use funds from the emergency cumulative capital fund, but Clerk-Treasurer Tricia Gall wasn’t sure if they could for that purpose and if they already had it budgeted for something else.
The fire chief said they weren’t expecting an answer that night but wanted to put it on the table.
Milford Fire Department is a volunteer department on contract with the town, Van Buren Township and the eastern part of Jefferson Township. The town owns the station and two trucks and Van Buren Township owns the remaining trucks. The majority of the funding comes from Milford and Van Buren Township.
Repaving Contract
The council received and opened two bids for the spring 2020 repaving project and awarded it to the low bidder, Phend and Brown, with a bid of $208,433. The other bidder was Rieth Riley with a bid of $239,520. The town anticipates 75% of the project will be paid for by Community Crossing funds. The town will pay 25% and Gall said that would be $52,110.75.
In a related matter, the council approved an agreement with USI Consulting for asset management plan assistance. It’s a two-year agreement at $5,000 a year. Ruch commented that the agreement saved the town a lot of money with help from the Community Crossing grant.
REACH Alert
Milford residents will soon be able to be notified right away of things going on in town like if the hydrants need flushing, the trash is delayed, etc.
The clerk said she was so excited about this and said it was “One of the reasons I decided to run for clerk!”
When residents register for REACH they can choose how to be notified – either by email, text or phone call.
Because they are an Association of Indiana Municipalities member, the cost will be $1 per household and there are 650 households in town. The second year would be $2 per household. Gall said the biggest volume of calls coming in to her office is about delayed trash collections and rusty water due to hydrant flushing. She said there can be multiple administrators and the notifications get out “super fast.”
Gall said they’ve also started taking credit card payments “We’re just cruising into the 20th century!” she said.
In other business, the council:
• Approved hiring deputy marshal reserve officer Robert Post Jr.
• Approved the purchase of a one-ton pickup with plow. The pickup truck will be purchased from McCormick Motors, Nappanee, at a cost of $32,900 and a plow from Gardeners’ in Goshen at a cost of $6,262.35 for a total of $39,162.35.
• Approved emergency repair due to a water main break at a cost of $2,670 to Beer & Slabaugh.
• Approved the purchase of mosquito spray treatments from Clarke on a winter savings sale at a cost of $7,332.54 for eight treatments.
• Approved a new employee’s attendance at mosquito control classes, and if he passes those classes and receives two licenses it would result in a $1 an hour pay increase.
• Approved Gall to attend Indiana League of Municipal Clerk-Treasurers in March.
• Approved request from Marcy Haab representing Milford Lions to frame and hang an antique flag in the community building.
Fire Chief Todd Haines explained the department’s 16 air packs are currently not in compliance and need to be replaced. He said they received a $10,000 grant from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation but still need $130,000 and he wondered what the town could do to help.
Council President Doug Ruch asked Van Buren Township Trustee Rebecca Alles what the township could do and she said the money they have in the cumulative capital fire fund is earmarked for a pumper truck that needs to be replaced this year. She said she’d probably have to keep the cumulative capital tax going.
Councilman Kenneth Long said his concern was if they’re replacing them all at once they’re going to run into the same problem again and wondered if they could stagger replacing them so they could avoid such a huge expense at one time.
Haines said right now, none of the air packs are in compliance and partly because of changes. He said with the current air packs, the PASS device comes on after a certain amount of time with no movement and sends an alarm. With the new ones, as soon as you turn on the air pack, the PASS device comes on. The new ones also have a 40-minute bottle while the current packs have a 30-minute one. He said they also need additional bottles for a total of 46.
Alles said getting the fire department in compliance will get the town a better ISO rating, which affects individuals’ and business’s insurance ratings.
Ruch asked if they were able to find a way to fund the request, would the township be willing to help later. Alles said the township is not opposed, but “we’ve been spending a lot of money on fire.”
Alles said the cumulative fire fund has been generating about $95,000 a year so she thinks they’d be able to do half of the $130,000.
Fire Training Officer Brian Haines said, “We hate coming to you guys but it’s something we have to be passionate about this with our firemen.”
Ruch thought they could possibly use funds from the emergency cumulative capital fund, but Clerk-Treasurer Tricia Gall wasn’t sure if they could for that purpose and if they already had it budgeted for something else.
The fire chief said they weren’t expecting an answer that night but wanted to put it on the table.
Milford Fire Department is a volunteer department on contract with the town, Van Buren Township and the eastern part of Jefferson Township. The town owns the station and two trucks and Van Buren Township owns the remaining trucks. The majority of the funding comes from Milford and Van Buren Township.
Repaving Contract
The council received and opened two bids for the spring 2020 repaving project and awarded it to the low bidder, Phend and Brown, with a bid of $208,433. The other bidder was Rieth Riley with a bid of $239,520. The town anticipates 75% of the project will be paid for by Community Crossing funds. The town will pay 25% and Gall said that would be $52,110.75.
In a related matter, the council approved an agreement with USI Consulting for asset management plan assistance. It’s a two-year agreement at $5,000 a year. Ruch commented that the agreement saved the town a lot of money with help from the Community Crossing grant.
REACH Alert
Milford residents will soon be able to be notified right away of things going on in town like if the hydrants need flushing, the trash is delayed, etc.
The clerk said she was so excited about this and said it was “One of the reasons I decided to run for clerk!”
When residents register for REACH they can choose how to be notified – either by email, text or phone call.
Because they are an Association of Indiana Municipalities member, the cost will be $1 per household and there are 650 households in town. The second year would be $2 per household. Gall said the biggest volume of calls coming in to her office is about delayed trash collections and rusty water due to hydrant flushing. She said there can be multiple administrators and the notifications get out “super fast.”
Gall said they’ve also started taking credit card payments “We’re just cruising into the 20th century!” she said.
In other business, the council:
• Approved hiring deputy marshal reserve officer Robert Post Jr.
• Approved the purchase of a one-ton pickup with plow. The pickup truck will be purchased from McCormick Motors, Nappanee, at a cost of $32,900 and a plow from Gardeners’ in Goshen at a cost of $6,262.35 for a total of $39,162.35.
• Approved emergency repair due to a water main break at a cost of $2,670 to Beer & Slabaugh.
• Approved the purchase of mosquito spray treatments from Clarke on a winter savings sale at a cost of $7,332.54 for eight treatments.
• Approved a new employee’s attendance at mosquito control classes, and if he passes those classes and receives two licenses it would result in a $1 an hour pay increase.
• Approved Gall to attend Indiana League of Municipal Clerk-Treasurers in March.
• Approved request from Marcy Haab representing Milford Lions to frame and hang an antique flag in the community building.
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