City seeks grant to pay firefighters amid staffing changes
Tipp City, Monroe Twp. aim to boost full-time staffing.
Tipp City hopes to receive a federal grant to pay up to eight firefighters over three years and allow time to get a new emergency services structure and funding plan in place.
Work already is underway after joint meetings last year between the city and Monroe Twp. officials. The township contracts with the city for fire and emergency medical services.
A phased plan for the city fire and EMS departments, which were combined a couple of years ago, includes more full- and part-time employees.
The department traditionally was staffed with volunteers, but the number of volunteers has declined as training and ongoing education requirements for those providing the services have increased and people have more demands on their time.
Laws also have changed to limit the number of hours worked by part-time personnel.
The city plans to increase its full-time staff over time to 19 full time, 21 part time and 12 volunteers, with an implementation date range of 2023-2026.
Today, the staffing includes full-time Chief Cameron Haller and a full-time assistant chief. Other personnel are part time with some volunteers.
Haller talked with City Council during its biennial retreat earlier this month about a city application for a federal SAFER grant (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response).
The city is requesting more than $2.7 million over the three years for wages
and benefits for firefighters. These positions are needed to help the department attain workable dual-role staffing levels, Haller said.
“A SAFER award will rapidly improve the safety of the firefighters and the citizens they serve, and would
allow the city to achieve this two years earlier than planned,” he wrote in the grant application.
City and township government representatives will include residents in the planning process. The committee will assess funding along with the more longterm issue of whether the services will be for the city and township or if a larger district to possibly include other townships might be needed.
“The process to put the pieces together needs to start,” City Manager Tim Eggleston said.
Monroe Twp. started addressing the financial end of the change last year.
Under its contract with the city, Monroe Twp. pays 26% of the operating budget and 26% of the capital improvements such as buying equipment and EMS vehicles.
The percentage is based on the average percentage of the city’s fire/EMS runs that have gone into the township over several years.
The township last fall secured voter approval of a five-year, 4-mill levy to pay township costs. That levy was an increase over a previous 2-mill measure.
The city is talking about asking voters this fall to approve the move of 0.2 percent of the base city income tax now set aside for capital improvements to the general fund to help pay for the fire and EMS services.
Down the road, other financing — a property tax or income tax have been mentioned — will need to be explored, said city Finance Director John Green.
“The 0.2% won’t be sufficient in the long run, but would cover the phase-in period,” Green said. “We could then address the additional funding necessary either through an additional income or property tax levy around the same time the township’s levy comes up for renewal (2025-2026).”