Just a quick update of where the negotiations for the Village's Fire Protection contract stands.
On Monday the Grandview Heights Safety Committee voted 3-0 not to offer Valleyview a contract. Myself, Mayor Watkins and Public Safety Committee Chair Ron Hays attended the meeting. The meeting lasted about an hour and fifteen mintues and was solely devoted to the discussion of the contract.
In the end the Safety Committee felt that it was not in the best interests of their residents to offer a contract to Valleyview. The Village had been working with the Mayor of Grandview and their Fire Chief. Grandview's fire bid was the lowest of the three bids received which included Franklin Township and the City of Columbus.
The total of the bids for each was $125,000 for Grandview, $147,000 for Franklin Township and ~$169,500 from Columbus. There would have been a savings of $22,000 over the life of the contract between the Grandview and Franklin Township bids.
Valleyview will now begin working with Franklin Township and Columbus to confirm contract costs and see what can be done in the best interest of the Village.
Currently the levy for the Village generates ~$42,000 per year. At that rate the Village will have a deficent of $7,000 a year for the three year contract. The Village has reserves enough in the Fire Fund to cover that shortage for the three years of this contract. At the end of that contact in 2008 the Village will need to look how to cover the costs for any future contracts.
Options range from subsidizing the cost from the general fund but that means that other services would need to be cut to cover those costs or the Village can pass a renewal levy to generate more money specifically for the Fire Protection contract. One would mean the same amount in taxes, but a decrease in services, the other would mean an increase in property taxes and the same level of services. Residents will have to decide what the price of independance from the City or Township means to them.
There will be some tough decisions to be made in the future.
There is also an article in Today's Columbus Dispatch concerning the Fire Contract if you would like additional information. If you would like a pdf copy of the article please email me and I will send you an electronic copy.
On Monday the Grandview Heights Safety Committee voted 3-0 not to offer Valleyview a contract. Myself, Mayor Watkins and Public Safety Committee Chair Ron Hays attended the meeting. The meeting lasted about an hour and fifteen mintues and was solely devoted to the discussion of the contract.
In the end the Safety Committee felt that it was not in the best interests of their residents to offer a contract to Valleyview. The Village had been working with the Mayor of Grandview and their Fire Chief. Grandview's fire bid was the lowest of the three bids received which included Franklin Township and the City of Columbus.
The total of the bids for each was $125,000 for Grandview, $147,000 for Franklin Township and ~$169,500 from Columbus. There would have been a savings of $22,000 over the life of the contract between the Grandview and Franklin Township bids.
Valleyview will now begin working with Franklin Township and Columbus to confirm contract costs and see what can be done in the best interest of the Village.
Currently the levy for the Village generates ~$42,000 per year. At that rate the Village will have a deficent of $7,000 a year for the three year contract. The Village has reserves enough in the Fire Fund to cover that shortage for the three years of this contract. At the end of that contact in 2008 the Village will need to look how to cover the costs for any future contracts.
Options range from subsidizing the cost from the general fund but that means that other services would need to be cut to cover those costs or the Village can pass a renewal levy to generate more money specifically for the Fire Protection contract. One would mean the same amount in taxes, but a decrease in services, the other would mean an increase in property taxes and the same level of services. Residents will have to decide what the price of independance from the City or Township means to them.
There will be some tough decisions to be made in the future.
There is also an article in Today's Columbus Dispatch concerning the Fire Contract if you would like additional information. If you would like a pdf copy of the article please email me and I will send you an electronic copy.
