City is poised to award bid to consultant who’ll present shared services options
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
About two weeks before Christmas, City of Burlington Administrator Kevin Lahner tossed out a tweet:
“Great meeting with the #Burlington FD last night. Thanks guys for all you do!” Lahner wrote Dec. 12 on his Twitter account.
Lahner said last week the meeting held nothing of immediate of importance – an assertion backed up by Mayor Bob Miller this week.
However, while nothing appears imminent, questions continue to circulate on how discussions about changing how the City and Town of Burlington Fire Departments – and the Burlington Area Rescue Squad – work together will proceed.
Miller said Wednesday that Lahner’s meeting with the City of Burlington department was simply informational.
“Just to inform the membership of what’s going on, answer any questions that they may have,” Miller said. Town Fire Chief Ed Umnus said recently he is still waiting to find out when a proposed study on a possible merger will begin.
Earlier this year, the City of Burlington sent out a request for proposals to find companies willing to study how the two departments and the rescue squad could work better together. Both sides have been reluctant to even use the word “merge.”
Miller repeated Wednesday that there are “no preconceived ideas” regarding the study, only that two fire departments and a rescue squad could possibly work better together than what’s going on now.
“It’s a way of looking at the three separate departments and see if there’s a better way of cooperating,” said Miller.
Miller did say that the city did have a study proposal it’s considering, and that the City Council would vote on that bid sometime in January.
The study would presumably start after the council gave its approval, but Miller did not confirm whether it would come up for a vote at the first or second council meeting in January.
The other factor in all of this is the possible retirement of current City of Burlington Fire Chief Dick Lodle.
According to Miller, Lodle hasn’t officially announced retirement, though that is presumably going to happen.
“He’s talked about it,” Miller said. “That’s as far as it’s gone. There’s been no definite date.”
-
-
-
-
-