The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

August 28, 2012

Schmidt, Barrett haggle over levy

By Sandy Scarmack Herald Staff Writer

BROOKFIELD — While both agree neither department is more important than the other, both the Brookfield police and fire chief told township officials they think any money garnered from a proposed fall levy should be split equally.

When township officials first proposed placing a 1-mill levy on the November ballot they were reluctant to detail exactly how the money - approximately $125,000 a year - would be divided between the emergency services. Firefighters said earlier they thought a levy would stand a chance of passing based on the good reputation of the fire department and were hesitant to promote the levy unless they were assured of an equal split. Trustees did agree in July that none of the levy money would be used for wages.

During a meeting Monday night, Fire Chief Keith Barrett outlined his need for money for essential maintenance he says has been put off  “until I just can’t put it off any longer.”  His department’s $62,500 share would cover things such as tire replacement, engine services, maintenance to the fire department roof and emergency repairs. And while the levy money cannot be used for salaries it would free up a portion of his budget that might allow the manning of Station 51, the Masury substation, for 24 hours. A lack of manpower currently forces the station to close at 7 p.m. daily, he said. Several residents have complained at monthly meetings about the station being closed 12 hours a day.

He said it costs about $3,600 a month to have the station open 24 hours a day. He said he could not give specifics about how many additional hours he could open it if the levy passes, but he said it “would certainly help.”

Police Chief Dan Faustino told trustees the money would help him in maintaining two patrol cars on duty at all time and would allow him to be handling other duties in the office, rather than spending some days on patrol as he does now. Faustino said his budget has been slashed by nearly $60,000 since 2009 and he too struggles with routine upkeep and maintenance on the fleet of police cars.  

Trustee Chairman Gary Lees said he understands the maintenance issues but said “what is the safety  part here?” He said he was hesitant to ask voters to support a tax increase without showing a clear safety benefit.  Barrett again cited the Masury fire station and said residents authorized a levy to build the building and that it needs to be manned to be of any good to anyone. Lees, as he has in the last several months, asked Barrett to try and keep the ambulance service competitive with other companies and continue to be a source of revenue.

The board didn’t take any action on the idea of sharing the levy equally, though Trustee Phil Schmidt said he had no problem with however it is split but added he didn’t vote for the levy in the first place. He also said he didn’t think it was up to the firefighters to determine how the money is spent. “Who runs the township? The people who were elected or the fire department?”

Trustees will consider the issue again during a meeting September 10. The board moved its regular meeting from September 3 because of the Labor Day holiday.

 

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