SPANISH FORT – The Spanish Fort Volunteer Fire Department would become a city agency in the next year under plans being discussed by municipal officials and the department’s board, Mayor Mike McMillan said Friday.
McMillan said he and City Attorney David Conner will meet with the board of directors of the Spanish Fort Volunteer Fire Department this week. He said the current plan calls for the department to merge with the city in the first six months of the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
“It looks like what we’re shooting for is for the merger to move forward come April because there are a lot of moving parts that have to be done, legally and Mr. Conner has to put together and, of course, the fire board, they have to act accordingly also,” McMillan told City Council members Monday, Aug. 2.
The mayor said Volunteer Fire Department members agree that the merger is needed.
“Everybody seems to be on the same page with it,” McMillan said. “They recognize the ever-increasing price of fire departments. Their budget request this year is up from $1 million, which is what we paid them last year, to $1.3 million this year. So, their costs continue to go up. Their donations continue to go down. The city’s responsible for health, safety and welfare and that’s certainly a big part of it, so we need to make sure it’s all taken care of.”
McMillan said that as Spanish Fort’s population grows, the need for fire protection and other emergency services also increases. He said donations for the Volunteer Fire Department have not kept up with the demand for services.
In the last three years, city funding for the department has increased from $800,000 to $1 million to $1.3 million.
McMillan said personnel costs are one reason for the increase.
“A lot of the cost is personnel,” McMillan said. “We made a dedicated effort to add every year, three additional paid staff so we can assure 24-hour, seven-day a week coverage. Volunteers do an outstanding job, but we’ve got to make sure we have coverage at all times.”
The city and Volunteer Fire Department are also working on plans to build a new fire station near City Hall.
“I’m not sure how we’ll position that in the budget this year because there’s a lot of moving parts there, but we will be moving forward with that,” McMillan said at the council meeting.
In the 2019-20 fiscal year, the department’s expenses exceeded funding by $179,000, according to reports. The Volunteer Fire Department currently has 12 full-time paid firefighters and three other paid staff members. The department also has six part-time firefighters on the payroll.
In addition to city funding and donations, each fire department in Baldwin County receives about $199,000 a year from a property tax passed for fire protection. The money cannot be used for payrolls but can help pay operating expenses, officials said.
