WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
The Lockport Township Board is continuing to move toward signing a 15-year fire protection service agreement with the City of Three Rivers Fire Department (TRFD), beginning in 2014.
In keeping with unanimous action during their May 13th meeting to accept a three-point proposal from Three Rivers, board members agreed Monday evening (June 10th) to move ahead with development of a contract for the Three Rivers Fire Department (TRFD) to serve the western portion of the township. Township Clerk Wayne Timm and Trustee Mark Major were designated to represent the township in negotiations with city officials toward that end.
The consensus to continue moving in that direction came after unanimous approval of a motion to NOT accept an alternative 5-year contract offer put forth by the Fabius-Park Fire Department (FPFD) Fire Board several days after the May meeting. The ‘counter-proposal’ from the FPFD Fire Board was to continue fire protection in the same territory now being covered for five years at a fixed rate of $80,000 per year, identical to the rate currently in effect under a two-year contract set to expire next year.
The Three Rivers City Commission voted unanimously last week in favor of the agreement for the City of Three Rivers Fire Department to provide fire protection service to the western portion of Lockport Township for a 15-year period beginning next year.
One of the points likely to come in for conversation in the contract talks between city and township officials is the ‘4 percent annual increase’ provision. Former Lockport Township Trustee Dannie Bloom endorsed the idea of having township representatives negotiate with city representatives to “see if there’s any flexibility in the numbers.” In view of discussion about the idea of forming a ‘fire authority’, Bloom also suggested “some sort of language ought to be in this contract having to do with ‘outs’.”
