BUCYRUS — Bucyrus City Council met in a special session Tuesday evening to vote on whether to override a veto by Mayor Jeff Reser on legislation to apply for a Staffing for Adequate Fire and EMS Response (SAFER) Grant.
In a letter to the media Tuesday morning, Reser said that while he has been a proponent of putting the EMS service into the fire department in the past, this is not the way to do it during a pandemic since the grant will require the city to hire six new people for the fire department.
“In addition, we haven’t even made a decision to leave the (Central Joint Ambulance) District. We are getting the cart before the horse. Let’s be prudent and get a good plan going forward,” said Reser.
Council president Kurt Fankhauser maintains the grant is desperately needed and the time is now to start creating EMS service within the fire department as there is a possibility that there will be a higher subsidy for the city to pay when the contract with Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Service ends in 2021.
Former council member Bill O’Rourke said the city does not have the money to pay for the extra workers when the grant ends in three years and could put the city into a fiscal state of emergency.
Bucyrus Fire Department Lt. Greg Hershey, who is president of the local firefighters union IAFF Local 1120, said the safety forces levy was meant to keep both the police and fire departments fully staffed yet the fire department is not at full staff. He said the grant will allow for the department to increase the number of employees within the department and take on the EMS service for the city.
“The decision is up to you,” Hershey said to council, “and we will continue to provide the best service possible to our residents.”
Hershey also submitted a letter to council.
Bucyrus Police Department Lt. Tom Walker, who is president of the Bucyrus Fraternal of Police Lodge No. 68, also submitted concerns from the police union regarding the SAFER Grant.
Council member Mark Makeever said he is concerned about the end of the third year when the SAFER grant ends.
“We can’t afford it. I want to see us do this but with only three new firefighters, not six. I cannot see how we can afford it financially,” Makeever said. “There is not enough information for me to say yes to this right now.”
He said he has received phone calls from several residents who are concerned about the financial impact of entering into an agreement for a grant at this time.
Council members James Mee and Kevin Myers said while the city’s population is decreasing, the population is aging and creates a need for even more reliable EMS service in the future.
The motion to move forward in applying for the grant was approved by council, 6-1, with Makeever being the only “no” vote.
Council also voted to approve changes to the mayor’s state of emergency proclamation due to the pandemic, since city hall is now open to the public again with social distancing guidelines in place.