Wayne Township Passes Firefighter Contract, 2008 Budget


(posted Sept 14)


The Wayne Township Board adopted the firefighter contract with Indianapolis Metropolitan Professional Firefighters Union 416 in a unanimous vote at its Sept 13th meeting. Unlike last week's budget hearings where Chief Larry Alcorn and the union's Wayne Township President Scott Williams spent the majority of the four hour meeting discussing the contract details with the board, the vote was done with out discussion.
Williams thanked the board on behalf of the township's firefighters, many of whom attended the meeting in the township's small claims courtroom.

Along with raises for the firefighers the contract calls for an increase in the clothing allowance and the introduction of Kelly days, a method used by fire departments to avoid overtime pay by giving a firefighter a paid day off. According to Lynn McWhirter of the trustee's office, Kelly days will save 24 of the current 28 hours of overtime paid to each firefighter in a 28 day pay period.

The board spent a considerable amount of the four hour long meeting on the fire department budget, picking up where they left off last week. The board was concerned with a nearly $1 million line item listed only as "other services". Chief Alcorn gave the board some of the details as to the expenditures that were lumped into the category, and advised the board that he did not have specific figures to present to the board since the board had not requested this amount of detail in the last seven years that he had been involved with the budget process. The board tried to reassure the chief that they were not trying to admonish him for not having the details available for their inspection, but that with the current property tax situation the board members had their "phones ringing off the hook" from their constituents demanding that costs be cut whenever possible.

Trustee David Baird pointed out to the board that they would need to authorize spending more of the township's money to obtain an accounting system that would give them the ability to examine costs to the detail level the board is now wanting to see.

The board also questioned expenses related to the fire training facility formerly owned by the township that was transferred to the Wayne Township school district at the end of 2006. Trustee Baird said that there was no formal agreement on the costs of using the building once ownership transferred. "They are the landlords but we are the majority users," he said.

Board member Lisa Bentley offered a motion to remove the $130,000 line item for dispatching from the budget and have those funds taken from the township's rainy day fund, which has a current balance of around $2.5 million. The motion was approved, along with motions to reduce the other services expenses by 15% and $500,000 cuts to the fire protection and cumulative funds.

McWhirter cautioned the board on removing too much money from the cumulative fund, saying loans for the trucks are paid from that fund and that "We don't want our fire trucks being repossessed."

At the end of the meeting, board chairman Roger Bowser read from a prepared statement about his feelings on consolidation and the effect it has had on him.  Although he was against it from its inception three years ago, he now feels it is something the township needs to consider in light of current budget issues and property tax crisis.

Trustee Baird asked if a copy of Bowser's letter could be placed in the minutes of the meeting.
Bowser replied that he had not read his letter verbatim and preferred to let his verbal statement stand.