`Borough, firefighters can’t reach a deal`

By Hal Johnson
Herald Writer

Sandy Lake volunteer firefighters are distributing fliers telling borough residents that Sandy Lake council has refused to sign the department’s contract proposal for fire protection.

Matt Saeler, council president, called the firefighters’ message deceitful and the distribution of the fliers to residents and to news media “down and dirty.”

At issue are some of the terms of a 1999 fire protection contract.

Although the old contract expired Dec. 31, volunteers will continue to fight fires in Sandy Lake, but without receiving revenue from the borough’s 2-mill fire tax, said Assistant Fire Chief Dan Wadlow.

As council has not signed the department’s proposal, the department has not signed council’s counterproposal, Wadlow said. Negotiations have been underway for four months, Saeler said. Firefighters want a three-year contract under which council would pay the total to the fire department early in each year. Council is proposing a one-year contract with monthly installments paid to the department. Saeler said council also wants a department representative to attend council meetings.

Although the figures cited differ, the cost to of the contract is not at issue, both sides said. Saeler said the department wants $3,300 this year and more in the next two years. Wadlow said the fire department wants $2,880.

The contract cost “comes nowhere near” the $4,600 council gets from the fire tax, Wadlow said. Saeler said the borough cannot afford to make up front payments to the department because the borough does not receive its tax revenues until later in the year.

Besides the annual amount, the borough must pay workers’ compensation and liability insurance costs for the department out of the revenues from the tax, Saeler said.

Wadlow said the department would find it difficult to pay for equipment replacement if it received monthly installments from the borough.

The department has fund-raisers, but it is difficult to get volunteers to run them, he said. Wadlow said firefighters will take up the contract dispute with council when it meets Thursday night.

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Updated January 5, 1999
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