Outside firm hired to study possible benefits and pitfalls of city-town department merger
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
In considering the benefits and pitfalls of a suggested merger of the city and town of Burlington fire departments, Town Chief Ed Umnus commented last week that an outside view is needed.
“It’s an outside voice looking in,” Umnus said. “Sometimes we get tunnel vision.”
Umnus is referring to the current plan of hiring an outside firm to come in and study the feasibility of merging the two departments – or options that could entail merging at least portions of the two department.
Currently, with a request for proposal (or RFP) still out and the City of Burlington waiting for the final bids, it’s fair to say the whole process is still more than a little up in the air.
“We’re at step one of a multistep, long-term process,” City Administrator Kevin Lahner said. “It’s important to note we’re taking one step, and we’re not on step five or six. We’re on step one.
“There’s going to be time for feedback,” he added.
Right now, a task force has been put together to examine the possibilities. Included are Lahner and Umnus, as well as City Fire Chief Dick Lodle, City Police Chief Peter Nimmer, Alderman Peter Hintz, Mayor Bob Miller, Town Administrator Diane Baumeister, Town Board Supervisor Tyson Fettes and two rescue squad representatives – Brian Zwiebel and Dennis Lynch.
The goal is to find a way to bring services together in what Miller concedes is an effort to “change with the times.”
“We’re back to shared resources,” Miller explained. “There’s equipment the township has that the city doesn’t have, or vice versa.”
By combining services – in one way or another, depending on how the study comes back – Miller sees a chance to not only avoid duplicating services, but also equipment.
While both Miller and Lahner were cautious to say that any possible merger was still well in the future – and very much open to debate – both agreed it would be a logical move.
“I think given the economy, and the state of where things are right now, yes,” Miller said.
Lahner said the task force would evaluate the proposals as they come back, and decide on which group to go with for the study.
Beyond that, he said he wanted to see the process “play out.”
“I think that we have a really good open line of communication,” Lahner explained. “I think it’s been a good process so far.”
Umnus said that the two groups often work together on calls, and there have never been issues working together.
“Most of the guys know each other from the outside,” Umnus explained. “They know they can call us when they need help, and we can always call them when we need help.”
Those are mutual aid calls, however, and what may or may not work as a combined entity is the question of the moment.
What isn’t up for debate, though, is the need for change.
“The basic thing we’re all talking about is that we all recognize there needs to be a new service model,” Lahner said. A merger seems to make sense, but there are other options, such as joint stations, or different aid agreements.
“There may be things that are a better fit for our community, and we don’t know what those are yet,” Lahner explained.
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