Mayor meets with fire corporation; its board names new chairman

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, March 7, 2015, 10 p.m. — The Bardstown-Nelson County Volunteer Fire Department — the department that is works with the Bardstown Fire Department as a single entity — selected a new chairman Tuesday night following the resignation of longtime chairman Neal Pyle.

Pyle’s letter of resignation was read by acting board chairman Stacy Faulkner and accepted by the board following Mayor John Royalty’s discussion with the fire corporation’s board and membership regarding plans to hire a firm to study a merger of the city’s two departments.

The Bardstown Fire Department is funded by city residents’ tax dollars and technically handles fires inside the city limits. The Bardstown-Nelson County Volunteer Fire Department — otherwise known as “the corporation” — is funded by dues paid by property owners in areas outside the city limits but within its fire protection area.

Since the corporation’s founding in 1966, the two departments have operated as one using the same personnel. Administratively, managing the two departments has been a headache, and Chief Marlin Howard has proposed a study to determine if merger of the two departments if feasible and the best way to approach such a move.

An interlocal agreement that governed the relationship between the corporation and the city expires at the end of June, and a replacement agreement or an extension must be negotiated. In a letter written Monday by Mayor Royalty Monday to the corporation’s board, he expressed frustration over not being able to meet with then-board chairman Pyle to start that process. Royalty also sought a commitment from the board to fund its half of the $40,000 merger study.

Royalty spoke to the board and membership at Tuesday’s meeting to answer questions about the merger and interlocal agreement, and stressed the importance of taking action soon.

Funding the study simply gets the process started to examine a possible merger of the departments, he said.

Royalty said the study is a 50-50 joint venture between the city and the corporation. Even if the study indicates a merger may be beneficial, it doesn’t obligate the city or the corporation to proceed.

“That’s not what the study is for,” he said. “The study is to give us direction to decide what’s best for city, what’s best for the corporation and ultimately, what’s best for the community.”

The board asked Royalty about his vision and long-range goals of a combined fire department.

“What I would like to see is a 24/7 fire department,” he said. “That’s going to take the cooperation of the city, the county and the corporation.”

More staffing will reduce response times and could save lives and property, he said.

“What I think needs to comes out of this is better fire protection,” he said. “Most of us don’t think about fire protection until we make that phone call and we need it.”

Royalty told the board that he can only negotiate with the board chairman, and that its chairman had been unavailable due to health issues. In a letter sent Monday to the corporation board, Royalty said he needed to start discussions with the board chairman by April 15 in order to present the a budget to the city council.

After Royalty’s presentation, the board accepted Pyle’s resignation letter and elected Faulkner as board chairman to fill Pyle’s unexpired term. Pyle was elected chairman in January. Faulkner will continue to also serve as the board’s treasurer for the time being.

The board decided not to fill the co-chairman position until more members are added to the board. The board also agreed at its next meeting to discuss setting aside a prohibition on allowing paid firefighters from sitting on the board of directors.

MERGER SURVEY FUNDING. The board discussed how to fund its $20,000 share of the $40,000 merger study. The board discussed taking the money from the vehicle replacement plan now and repaying the fund by 2018 — the year the corporation plans its next vehicle purchases.

Faulkner told the board as chairman he will meet with Royalty and report back to the board at its next meeting.

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