Questions answered regarding Holton fire board

Which government entity is holding Holton Rural Fire Board #4 accountable?

That’s the question Jackson County Commissioners have been trying to clear up since the fire district receives tax funding from both the county and the city of Holton.

The county commissioners met with Kevin Ingels, Holton fire chief, and David Ent, assistant fire chief, on Monday to clarify Holton fire board appointments and operations.

The main responsibility of all the fire boards in the county is to set a budget and oversee the taxable dollars each fire department receives from the county. These funds are used to purchase equipment, new firetrucks and other items. 

Fire board members are not volunteer firefighters or the fire chief but are other community members who volunteer their time, it was reported.

Since fire boards are under the authority of the county, fire board members are appointed to the boards by the county commissioners under the recommendation of fire district members or through election. 

It recently came to the attention of the county commissioners that neither the city nor the county commissioners were approving the appointments to Holton Rural Fire Board #4. The city, however, does approve the hiring of the fire chief and the assistant fire chief. 

“This is not an issue about how the fire department is run because you guys are doing a great job,” said Commissioner Janet Zwonitzer. “We just want to know who the fire board is answering to and who is approving board members. Somebody needs to be accountable for the fire board for the fire board’s own protection, as well as the county’s.”

Ingels said that a list of fire board members is usually given to Pat Korte, emergency management director, each year. But a list of appointments hasn’t ever been brought before the county commissioners for approval.  

“I guess I just assumed you were approving them,” Ingels said to the commissioners.

Jackson County Clerk Kathy Mick said that Korte needs a list of fire board members for insurance purposes. 

Ent said there seems to be a miscommunication regarding the board appointments.

“I guess we assumed you were getting them and that if you wanted them, you would have requested them,” Ent said. “We didn’t know you weren’t getting them.”

The Holton Rural Fire Board #4 operates with four members. Those current members are Cole Gerhardt, Ryan Alley, Glenn Chiles and Tyler Raaf. 

The rural fire district serves all of Jefferson, Banner, Liberty, Garfield and Straight Creek townships, as well as Franklin township with the exception of sections 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 26. In addition, the department also serves the cities of Holton, Circleville and Denison. 

Ingels said that the department receives funding from both the city and the county to operate. The funds are kept separate, and the fire department is considered another department operated by the city.

“The fire board just deals with county funds,” Ingels said. “They don’t have anything to do with city money. Any city-related bills the district receives go to city hall to be paid and they pay it from there.”

City funds used by the fire district are used to cover the cost of personnel, dispatchers and some equipment, and those funds are governed by the city commission since the district is considered a city department.

The county commissioners have requested that the four-member fire board add an additional member in order to prevent any tie votes. They also asked that any new board appointments be approved by the county commission, which is the same practice used with all the other fire boards in the county. Ingels and Ent agreed.

“We want to get all the fire boards on the same page,” Zwonitzer said.

Ingels said a fifth board member will be added during the September meeting and then brought to the commissioners for approval.  

County Counselor Alex Morrissey is set to met with Dennis White, the city’s attorney, to look over a resolution from 1982 regarding the Holton fire board and determine if that resolution needs to be amended to clarify who has authority over the fire board. 

It appears in the resolution that the county gave up supervision of the Holton fire board to the city, but more research needs to be done on the matter since the city commissioners stated that city officials have no interest in overseeing the fire board and appointing its members.

In 2014, Holton Rural Fire Board #4 received $121,867 for its budget through its special tax mill levy, which is how funds are generated by county fire districts. 

The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

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