WEBVTT 00:00:00.578 --> 00:00:10.289 - Good evening. I'm going to call to order this meeting of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. All 00:00:10.289 --> 00:00:20.471 - three commissioners are here and present in the NETU Hill Room. And we're here solely to focus on Ordinance 00:00:20.471 --> 00:00:28.862 - 2025-51. If you are here from Richland Township or Polk Township or Salt Creek Township, 00:00:29.122 --> 00:00:40.741 - We are not going to be considering adding these townships to the fire district tonight. Tonight is solely 00:00:40.741 --> 00:00:47.646 - bean blossom. But we do intend in the spring to consider those 00:00:48.226 --> 00:00:56.859 - to be added to the fire protection district. So tonight is solely about being blossoming. Just wanted 00:00:56.859 --> 00:01:05.746 - to make that clear to anybody who may be online or here, and you live in a different township. Um, we'll 00:01:05.746 --> 00:01:14.295 - start with an explanation from Mr Cockrell, if you would, please. Yes and we've done this process or 00:01:14.295 --> 00:01:17.342 - at least this expansion of the fire 00:01:17.922 --> 00:01:24.489 - reminder the code allows the commissioners to approve and extend the fire protection district over new 00:01:24.489 --> 00:01:30.928 - areas it also has a process that allows people to petition the commissioners to to see that question 00:01:30.928 --> 00:01:37.495 - but it's not required in in this case we are looking at beam blossom township the notice included many 00:01:37.495 --> 00:01:44.190 - other areas but we have had discussions with the fire protection district and their then their board and 00:01:44.386 --> 00:01:51.107 - And I think at this point, moving forward with just being blossom was what they requested and what you 00:01:51.107 --> 00:01:57.698 - had announced at your meeting last week. So essentially this this in order for this to occur so that 00:01:57.698 --> 00:02:04.223 - the the beam blossom would join the township or fire protection district in twenty twenty seven. It 00:02:04.223 --> 00:02:10.814 - has to be completed prior to twenty twenty six. We have to have that year lag. I have reached out to 00:02:10.814 --> 00:02:14.142 - the Department of Local Government Finance and the 00:02:14.658 --> 00:02:20.937 - staff member confirmed that that's his understanding they were going to reach out to their legal department 00:02:20.937 --> 00:02:26.751 - and let me know if it if anything was different and I have not heard back from them so in order for 00:02:26.751 --> 00:02:32.681 - this to be effective we have to have it done by the end of the year and the ordinance in front of you 00:02:32.681 --> 00:02:35.646 - is very similar to past ordinances I guess the the 00:02:35.938 --> 00:02:42.787 - The difference is it adds beam blossom instead of a different township. It also, the board currently 00:02:42.787 --> 00:02:49.772 - has seven members on it. And so when you add a new township, you have to add a new member, trustee for 00:02:49.772 --> 00:02:56.690 - the board. And statutorily, you can't have an even number of trustees. So it does have a ninth board, 00:02:56.690 --> 00:03:03.675 - ninth trustee that can be from any, that last one just has to reside within the township or within the 00:03:03.675 --> 00:03:05.438 - fire protection district. 00:03:05.538 --> 00:03:16.547 - that are associated with that. So I hope that's clear, but basically what this is is the is an ordinance 00:03:16.547 --> 00:03:27.974 - that would add beam blossom to the Monroe fire protection. I have a quick question. Um, technical questions. 00:03:27.974 --> 00:03:30.910 - So in if this passes and in 00:03:31.298 --> 00:03:39.590 - being blossom is added to the fire protection district. There's still a continuing contract between 00:03:39.590 --> 00:03:48.047 - the fire protection district and Salt Creek and Polk townships. Those, because it's a contract, would 00:03:48.047 --> 00:03:56.422 - they be eligible to be considered for board membership as a trustee, or is it only people who reside 00:03:56.422 --> 00:04:00.734 - within the physical parameters of the fire district 00:04:00.866 --> 00:04:07.174 - within the township center. I believe it's only those people within the fire protection district right 00:04:07.174 --> 00:04:13.481 - so they they have they have contracts but they're not in the fire protection and you know it's I think 00:04:13.481 --> 00:04:19.667 - it's a four-year term so what happens in year two if the contract expires and they don't renew it it 00:04:19.667 --> 00:04:24.382 - would just okay. Do my colleagues have questions for Mr. Cockrell? I do not. 00:04:24.578 --> 00:04:34.315 - Okay. Does anyone from the fire protection district board? I see the chair Vicky Sorenson is here. I 00:04:34.315 --> 00:04:44.728 - also see Dustin Dillard here. The chief of the fire protection district are both here. Do you have anything 00:04:44.728 --> 00:04:53.694 - you want to say at the outset? Okay, great. Um, all right. So, um. Why don't we go ahead and 00:04:53.858 --> 00:05:03.038 - Yes. Okay. Great. If you'd like to speak on this issue, whether in support or opposition, please come 00:05:03.038 --> 00:05:12.308 - to the podium here in the net you Hill room or you can raise your hand on teams. And we will hear from 00:05:12.308 --> 00:05:20.318 - you. We'd like to ask you to please limit your comments to three minutes per person. And 00:05:20.930 --> 00:05:27.931 - There's a big clock up on the screen. We can actually tilt that screen so you could see it more easily. 00:05:27.931 --> 00:05:34.866 - I will go do that. And if anybody wishes to come up and speak on this item, please do so. I'll get it. 00:05:34.866 --> 00:05:41.598 - And I would just say this is a public hearing. It was noticed as a public hearing. So this would be 00:05:41.598 --> 00:05:43.550 - the hearing portion of that. 00:05:59.458 --> 00:06:11.176 - I wish to speak on this item. Hello, can you give us your name, please? And yes, not ship of residence. 00:06:11.176 --> 00:06:22.668 - My name is Carl Salzman. I'm a resident of Bean Blossom Township. Over the weekend, I was informed of 00:06:22.668 --> 00:06:28.414 - the meeting tonight that interests many taxpayers. 00:06:28.546 --> 00:06:34.420 - on the west side of the county. I was only able to contact a few people that could be here 00:06:34.420 --> 00:06:41.069 - because coincidentally, the consolidation mean for Ellsville is tonight at the same time. I found that 00:06:41.069 --> 00:06:47.718 - a little strange, but anyway, the people I'm talking about are the residents of Bean Blossom Township, 00:06:47.718 --> 00:06:54.173 - Steinsville, Richland Township and Ellsville. I'm not talking about poke. All that's been taken off 00:06:54.173 --> 00:06:58.046 - the table. As you know, we met for months about this issue. 00:06:59.554 --> 00:07:07.683 - went over the projected tax implications, had discussions with the Ellsville Fire Department, the Steinsville 00:07:07.683 --> 00:07:15.663 - Volunteer Fire Department, and our fellow citizens in many meetings. We eventually conducted a remonstrance 00:07:15.663 --> 00:07:23.348 - action, which firmly told you the wishes of the taxpayers in that area. In other words, we won. I don't 00:07:23.348 --> 00:07:26.526 - know why this is back on the agenda again, 00:07:27.426 --> 00:07:35.005 - But I can tell you we do not need the Monroe County Fire Protection District to be involved. For many 00:07:35.005 --> 00:07:42.510 - reasons which we have voiced to you in those meetings, it does not make financial sense. We will not 00:07:42.510 --> 00:07:50.090 - get better fire services. It creates redundancies that are not necessary, et cetera. The remonstrance 00:07:50.090 --> 00:07:52.542 - was not the end of our interest. 00:07:52.738 --> 00:08:00.453 - We hope for a contract to cover the services for our area with the Elseville Fire Protection District. 00:08:00.453 --> 00:08:08.168 - That contract would provide the services we need. And frankly, we already get without the enormous tax 00:08:08.168 --> 00:08:16.183 - burden that we'd be levied by Monroe County Fire Protection District takeover. We understand that contract 00:08:16.183 --> 00:08:21.950 - is available now. We would like to take part of that. That's what we'd like. 00:08:22.914 --> 00:08:31.437 - I know as commissioners, you have to look at many agendas and considerations. But as Commissioner Thomas 00:08:31.437 --> 00:08:39.716 - said in the last election, when there was a swell of remonstrance against city's annexation attempts, 00:08:39.716 --> 00:08:47.833 - quote unquote, we should listen to the people most affected. My request is that you do just that. I 00:08:47.833 --> 00:08:51.486 - will also be willing to help you if you need 00:08:51.810 --> 00:08:59.716 - point person on these issues. As we navigate the future together on this or anything else confronting 00:08:59.716 --> 00:09:07.621 - us on the west side or frankly in the county in general. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Anybody 00:09:07.621 --> 00:09:13.822 - else wish to comment? Please come up to the podium or raise your hand on teams. 00:09:22.114 --> 00:09:34.668 - Yeah, I'm sorry, you had to be at the microphone. Thank you. We'll wait. Yeah, my name is Jay Thrasher. 00:09:34.668 --> 00:09:47.101 - I'm in Richland Township. I agree with Carl that Ellitsville and Bean Blossom have a working agreement 00:09:47.101 --> 00:09:51.326 - and have had for a good while now. 00:09:52.514 --> 00:10:00.553 - I was wanting clarification that you're dealing with Bean Blossom tonight is all that you're dealing 00:10:00.553 --> 00:10:08.593 - with? That's correct. And the others you're? Not dealing with until 2026. So you're planning to deal 00:10:08.593 --> 00:10:17.030 - with them too? We will be hearing from folks about those in the spring, probably late spring, mid spring. 00:10:17.030 --> 00:10:18.622 - Yeah. Well, this is 00:10:19.170 --> 00:10:27.002 - pretty important to Richland Township because we are considering building a new fire station at this 00:10:27.002 --> 00:10:35.066 - time and I'm not going to vote to approve the funds to build a new fire station if this is what's going 00:10:35.066 --> 00:10:43.363 - on. So we need more clarification of what's going on. The trustee did not have much information to provide 00:10:43.363 --> 00:10:47.550 - for us and none of the Township board members had any 00:10:48.098 --> 00:10:56.451 - that this is going on until this past weekend, which I'm on the township board, so I guarantee that 00:10:56.451 --> 00:11:05.221 - is a fact. So we're kind of being left in the dark. It's what I'm feeling like. I'm not real happy about 00:11:05.221 --> 00:11:13.574 - that. That's all I gotta say. Thank you, Mr Thrasher. Mr Cockrell, will you address the issues that 00:11:13.574 --> 00:11:16.414 - have been raised so far regarding 00:11:16.770 --> 00:11:25.131 - the county would be very interested in. Notification, etcetera. Yeah, well, and. We had I we I had talked 00:11:25.131 --> 00:11:33.176 - with the fire chief Kevin Patton, um, with Alexville, and I indicated to him that the county would be 00:11:33.176 --> 00:11:41.301 - very interested in. We understand the merger process. We understand the reason for the merger process. 00:11:41.301 --> 00:11:46.270 - We understand the funding changes that has been occurring that 00:11:46.818 --> 00:11:53.420 - which is essentially the state is pushing people to consolidate. We understand that Ellitsville and 00:11:53.420 --> 00:12:00.615 - Richland Township are going through a process right now to do that. We would like, I think the commissioners 00:12:00.615 --> 00:12:07.745 - would like to know if the people in Ellitsville, Richland Township want their own fire protection district, 00:12:07.745 --> 00:12:12.894 - want to join the Monroe Fire Protection District or want to do something else 00:12:13.282 --> 00:12:21.130 - through the merger. And I think I expressed that to Kevin Patton. It was intended that that would go 00:12:21.130 --> 00:12:29.444 - to the whole board earlier, and it didn't. I'm not saying it did. And so that's kind of one of the reasons 00:12:29.444 --> 00:12:37.214 - we really want to look at that next year, is to see as they go through the process, from my stance, 00:12:37.214 --> 00:12:38.846 - the county looked at 00:12:39.170 --> 00:12:45.649 - what the reorganization would do from a county's perspective, and it involved a lot of different thoughts, 00:12:45.649 --> 00:12:51.885 - and it was a very complex review. And I think Richland Township and Ellitsville are also going to have 00:12:51.885 --> 00:12:58.001 - that process, and it's going to be very complex, and they're going to have to weigh a lot of things. 00:12:58.001 --> 00:13:04.116 - There are mechanisms out there for fire that maybe could simplify the process as a concern with fire 00:13:04.116 --> 00:13:05.630 - and have the rest of the 00:13:07.362 --> 00:13:15.894 - we're looking at joining the merger or consolidation or whatever term we're going to use, that that 00:13:15.894 --> 00:13:24.768 - would be simplified if you took fire out of it. But again, we haven't heard back from Richland Township 00:13:24.768 --> 00:13:33.470 - or Elvisville, but wanted to extend that offer. We've had two public meetings at Steinsville and also 00:13:33.470 --> 00:13:36.798 - a number of other meetings about this. 00:13:37.666 --> 00:13:46.769 - It's not for this board, this board's only task is to decide on whether or not to incorporate Bean Blossom 00:13:46.769 --> 00:13:55.277 - into the fire protection district. It is not up to us to decide what other fire protection district 00:13:55.277 --> 00:14:04.040 - or what other fire protection you can receive from another entity. That's outside of our purview. That 00:14:04.040 --> 00:14:07.358 - is for the Bean Blossom Township Board 00:14:07.522 --> 00:14:21.902 - the beam blossom township trustee to determine. Any other comments? Okay. So I don't see any online. 00:14:21.902 --> 00:14:33.150 - TSD, if you see someone online, can you let us know? I don't see anyone. Okay. 00:14:36.866 --> 00:14:50.662 - There is one. Oh, no. I thought I saw a hand just flash on. OK. No. OK. All right. So with that, we'll 00:14:50.662 --> 00:15:04.190 - come back to the board. Do you have any further comments or questions for Mr. Cockrell? I don't. OK. 00:15:05.218 --> 00:15:14.143 - I just had a question. I think the status of the proposal that had initially been offered by Ellitsville 00:15:14.143 --> 00:15:23.324 - has changed. Can you just describe that briefly from May 2024 when we had the first meeting to the present? 00:15:23.324 --> 00:15:31.824 - I guess I'm not aware of what the current proposal is from Ellitsville. I see the trustee here. I'm 00:15:31.824 --> 00:15:33.694 - curious if he has it. 00:15:33.986 --> 00:15:41.609 - I assumed, and it could be a part of that, with the merger going on and Senate Bill 1, I mean, that 00:15:41.609 --> 00:15:49.233 - the finances for at least on the Elitzal side had to have changed. Well, it did change, right? So I 00:15:49.233 --> 00:15:57.161 - don't know what their interests would remain. I'm guessing that they would push come to shove, continue 00:15:57.161 --> 00:16:03.870 - to provide the services, but I'm not aware of any contractual offer that has been made. 00:16:04.706 --> 00:16:17.223 - that is still current. That's my understanding as well. I don't know, Mr. Hudson, Township Trustee Hudson, 00:16:17.223 --> 00:16:29.038 - if you have any other information that might be useful. The only information I have is what was hand 00:16:29.038 --> 00:16:34.302 - delivered to me two hours before they posted 00:16:34.754 --> 00:16:46.371 - a notice of the contract being delivered to me. And it is identical to the contract that they had previously. 00:16:46.371 --> 00:16:57.037 - And they keep saying it's not deceptive, but it is. If you read it, which I've been trying to find a 00:16:57.037 --> 00:17:03.902 - lawyer to read it and go through it for me and explain it to me. 00:17:04.226 --> 00:17:15.810 - As far as I can tell, the contract that they're proposing, they would end up with all of our equipment, 00:17:15.810 --> 00:17:27.171 - all of our buildings, which I don't think they can get the buildings now because the buildings belong 00:17:27.171 --> 00:17:31.070 - to the fire department volunteers. 00:17:31.778 --> 00:17:40.873 - They would end up with all of our equipment, which we've got some expensive equipment. And it's right 00:17:40.873 --> 00:17:49.968 - in their contract there that if we backed out of the contract or notified the contract, they wouldn't 00:17:49.968 --> 00:17:59.063 - keep all that. And they keep saying, well, you can keep all that. But that's kind of deceptive to me. 00:17:59.063 --> 00:18:00.222 - I hear that. 00:18:00.418 --> 00:18:10.317 - board has actually agreed with me that we're not accepting that contract. So. That's what we're saying 00:18:10.317 --> 00:18:20.216 - right now. Thank you. That's that clarification helps a lot. Thank you so much. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, 00:18:20.216 --> 00:18:25.406 - perfect. Thank you so much. Okay. Um, well, um, given 00:18:25.666 --> 00:18:33.270 - that there isn't anyone else who wishes to speak. I will go ahead and close the public hearing portion 00:18:33.270 --> 00:18:40.652 - of this item, our only item on our agenda today. Mr. Cockrell, is there anything else we need to do 00:18:40.652 --> 00:18:48.404 - or add or anything else you'd like to comment on at this point? No, I don't think there's anything else. 00:18:48.404 --> 00:18:54.974 - I mean, I think when I spoke at the Steinsville School, we talked a lot about the Senate 00:18:55.586 --> 00:19:04.036 - and the financial pressures that are coming in to local governments, particularly gonna hit. Well, it's 00:19:04.036 --> 00:19:12.649 - already started to hit, but it's gonna get worse. And then in 2028, who knows what's gonna happen, right? 00:19:12.649 --> 00:19:20.856 - But there is certainly everything that has been said at conferences and everything is that the state 00:19:20.856 --> 00:19:24.350 - is the result of their legislation is that 00:19:24.642 --> 00:19:32.942 - they're pushing consolidation. Whether that was the intent or not, that is kind of how the reaction 00:19:32.942 --> 00:19:41.574 - has to be looked at. We have to provide services and we have to consolidate services. We have to figure 00:19:41.574 --> 00:19:50.123 - out how to provide the same service or better at less cost. And so that's the general message from the 00:19:50.123 --> 00:19:52.862 - state last year. Right or wrong? 00:19:53.186 --> 00:20:00.230 - that's kind of what kind of it's driven this reevaluation. And I'm going to state three things that 00:20:00.230 --> 00:20:07.486 - we've heard at various meetings. And if I've got anything wrong, Mr. Cockrell, correct me or somebody. 00:20:08.034 --> 00:20:15.587 - chief dillard or anybody can correct me on this but the first thing i know is that the current bean 00:20:15.587 --> 00:20:23.290 - blossom fire department cannot continue to operate as it is it is been relying on volunteers who have 00:20:23.290 --> 00:20:31.598 - done a magnificent job many thanks to them that's the first thing we know is that the current fire protection 00:20:31.598 --> 00:20:34.846 - is inadequate second thing we know is that 00:20:35.042 --> 00:20:45.217 - The fire protection district intends to do two things, and this is also part of the third thing we know. 00:20:45.217 --> 00:20:55.101 - So that the fire protection district will utilize the current fire department building in Steinsville 00:20:55.101 --> 00:20:58.686 - to provide service. That's the plan. 00:20:58.882 --> 00:21:06.146 - And the other thing is that volunteers are welcome to apply to be a volunteer, continue their great 00:21:06.146 --> 00:21:13.773 - service. I've always been impressed with volunteers at Bean Blossom, Steinfeld Station. Amazing, amazing 00:21:13.773 --> 00:21:21.109 - folks who really shouldn't have to be putting their hands in the pockets to pay for gas for the fire 00:21:21.109 --> 00:21:28.446 - truck. And that's what they've been forced to do. Now, the other thing we also know is that there is 00:21:28.546 --> 00:21:36.730 - we have an ongoing- mutual aid situation with Ellisville. A fire department and being blossom township 00:21:36.730 --> 00:21:44.756 - and and we're assuming that that's going to continue because there's nothing saying that it wouldn't 00:21:44.756 --> 00:21:52.860 - so- folks will get better service- than they have now and that's not a swipe on the volunteers who've 00:21:52.860 --> 00:21:57.310 - done a magnificent job it's just that they will be paid 00:21:57.634 --> 00:22:05.890 - are putting folks in a safer position than they are currently. OK, so with that being said, does anybody 00:22:05.890 --> 00:22:13.988 - disagree with anything I've laid out? Because these are things that have been set at multiple meetings 00:22:13.988 --> 00:22:22.086 - at Steinsville. At the fire district, OK. Alright, anything else from my colleagues? You just answered 00:22:22.086 --> 00:22:25.310 - the only questions I had. Any questions? 00:22:25.506 --> 00:22:33.002 - No, and especially after hearing that again the contract offer would close down the current fire station. 00:22:33.002 --> 00:22:40.639 - That is a very long trip love very long time to wait for medical services and a very long and unsustainable 00:22:40.639 --> 00:22:43.326 - time to wait for fire services. Yeah. 00:22:43.522 --> 00:22:50.950 - Yes, that's the fear. And we are moving toward this consolidation. So all right. I do appreciate everyone 00:22:50.950 --> 00:22:58.238 - who came out to the meetings at Steinsville. We've had a few of them, 2024, 2025, just a few weeks ago. 00:22:58.238 --> 00:23:05.526 - It's been really helpful to not only hear from people in that sort of formal setting of here, I'm going 00:23:05.526 --> 00:23:10.782 - to speak to you, and here are my concerns, because it helped us figure out 00:23:11.106 --> 00:23:18.192 - what's going on and what those concerns are. And we ended up, the county ended up hiring Baker Tilley 00:23:18.192 --> 00:23:25.348 - to provide a clear financial report on the impact of the fire district, which folks have. But also the 00:23:25.348 --> 00:23:32.296 - conversations afterwards. The folks who didn't feel comfortable standing up in a public forum spoke 00:23:32.296 --> 00:23:39.313 - with us afterwards as well. And so we heard from a lot of those folks. And that means a lot also via 00:23:39.313 --> 00:23:40.702 - email, for example. 00:23:40.866 --> 00:23:52.608 - the question. All right. Well, with that, I'm going to go ahead and call the question on. Well, actually, 00:23:52.608 --> 00:24:04.350 - we have to have a motion first. I'm going to go ahead and move that we approve ordinance 2025 51. Second. 00:24:04.610 --> 00:24:17.407 - motion carries three zero. We do appreciate everyone for coming in. Um and for paying attention to this, 00:24:17.407 --> 00:24:30.082 - and we know there's a lot going on, even though it's the holidays. But I do wish you all happy holidays 00:24:30.082 --> 00:24:33.982 - from all of us at Monroe County