The West Liberty city council met Tuesday, Nov. 7 to discuss the future of the West Liberty Fire Department.
Members of the Fire Task Force came to a tentative, yet promising, agreement on Monday, Nov. 6, regarding the future of the West Liberty Fire and Ambulance Department.
“The Task Force has worked really hard for many months, well over a year, with a lot of bumps in the road, stops and starts, a lot of learning, a lot of trouble shooting, a lot of brainstorming and a lot of talking with other people,” Mayor Anderson told the council. “It’s a big deal to be this close to the finish line.”
The Fire Task Force, which includes members of the Rural Township Trustees, the City of West Liberty and the West Liberty Fire Department, has been crafting a 28E agreement that establishes a new agency over the local volunteer fire department.
Basically, they are looking to establish a new fire and emergency entity that will provide services to West Liberty and the surrounding community. The language of the 28E is still being finalized.
However, any agreement still needs to be approved by both the West Liberty City Council and the Township Trustees. After several years of turmoil between the department and the city, it looks like a solution may be on the horizon.
“My goal is to have it in front of the city council and have them vote on it as soon as possible,” Mayor Anderson later told the Index. If approved by both, it would both put the 28E Agreement into place and settle the lawsuits between the city and rural trustees.
After that, a new board to govern the agency will be put in place, new bank accounts will be created and new bylaws will be written. Mayor Anderson is grateful to all the work put in by the Fire Task Force to reach an agreement.