By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
There seems to be little doubt that four townships which receive fire protection from the City of Decatur are going to be seeing a cost increase for that protection.
The matter came up again at the latest meeting of city council, which is still debating what increased charges will be.
One thing promised by Decatur Mayor Dan Rickord is that any hikes will be coming relatively soon, well ahead of when township trustees begin to figure out their budgets for next year.
“Hopefully, we’ll get something done in the next few weeks,” Rickord said.
He said he would get together with Adams County Auditor Tony Mellencamp “to see where we’re at.”
It’s been pointed out at previous meetings and was once again at the latest one: county residents pay 6% of the city’s fire budget but 25% of the city’s fire runs are outside of the city.
“City residents are subsidizing county residents,” the mayor said again. “We’re not interested in sticking it to anyone, but everybody has to pay their fair share.”
Fire contracts approved for this year are as follows:
St. Marys Twp.: $11,934.23.
Union Twp.: $10,608.25.
Root Twp.: $25,124.48.
Washington Twp.: $18,564.36.
(And, yes, many who live in Washington Twp. reside within the Decatur city limits.)
AGREEMENT: Both the board of works and council gave their approval to a seven-year lease agreement with Republic First National Bank regarding the city’s purchase of a new aerial fire truck from MacQueen Equipment.
The city has already made a down payment of $800,000, with a balance due of $1,455.695.
Interest at 4.69% will push the final cost to $1,773,957.90.
The initial payment is due in August of 2026.
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