MORGANTOWN — As part of the recent conversation surrounding the financial problems facing the Star City Volunteer Fire Department, members of the Monongalia County Commission say they’re willing to explore “all options” to ensure the county’s volunteer fire companies are properly funded.
Even if it’s not popular.
“From a county commission standpoint, we don’t want to be out there saying we want to do this so we can tell the volunteer fire departments how to handle their business. We’re looking to explore it in concert with the volunteer fire departments so we can figure out what options we have there,” Commissioner Sean Sikora said.
“This is a conversation that needed to happen. We don’t want Star City to be a pariah amongst the other departments. They’re providing a majority of the runs and their people are doing the right things to deal with how their books were left by previous administrations. I hope people see that.”
During an Aug. 9 work session, Joe Klass and Joe McVey, representing the SCVFD, told the commission that the department is $600,000 in debt and on the verge of closing its doors due largely to loans taken on more than a decade ago to start an EMS service that folded in 2022.
While much of that conversation centered around what SCVFD can do to remain open, there was also talk of what the county can do to not only properly fund its departments but make sure this situation doesn’t repeat itself elsewhere.
The commission and SCVFD are working with the state auditor’s office to get a clearer picture of the department’s financial position.
Sikora said the auditor’s office indicated SCVFD isn’t the only fire/EMS agency dealing with seemingly insurmountable financial problems.
Delegate Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, confirmed as much. Statler serves on the Committee on Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services.
“We know what’s going on in Monongalia County and I would say to you we can’t let that happen, but I think there’s nine other departments across the state of West Virginia, along with their fire companies, that apparently could fold,” Statler told the commission. “Every time one of our emergency services, whether it’s fire or EMS, falls, you guys know what that means. The workload just goes to somebody else.”
SCVFD is the busiest department in Monongalia County and one of the busiest volunteer departments in the state, handling some 1,100 calls annually, according to Klass.
And that’s part of the issue.
Monongalia County has an excess levy supporting its 12 volunteer fire departments. That number includes Granville, which is a partially paid department. The levy was renewed for four years in 2020 and provides a little over $50,000 annually to each department — regardless of whether the department goes on 100 calls a year or 1,000.
“If we’re talking about a restructuring of the levy, which I understand. If you’re doing 1,100 calls and someone else is doing 50, why are you getting the same amount of money? I think that’s a very legitimate question,” Commission President Tom Bloom said.
Bloom also said it’s the Monongalia County Volunteer Fire Association’s job to answer that question, not the commission’s.
Another option floated during the session was a county-wide fire fee similar to what is in effect in the city of Morgantown.
The city anticipates generating just over $4 million in fire fees for the Morgantown Fire Department this fiscal year. City residents also pay into the county’s excess levy for VFDs.
Asked if they’ve approached Star City about implementing its own municipal fire fee, Klass said they have. The issue, he said, is that more than 80% of the department’s calls take them out of Star City. He said such a fee would also likely come with an expectation of 24/7 coverage which is a difficult commitment for an all-volunteer department of any size.
Sikora said the commission is willing to look into what a county-wide fire fee would look like in place of a levy. Among the many issues the county would need to explore, he added, is what that would mean for Morgantown residents.
Sikora said the commission is also willing to discuss a fire coordinator, which would be a position under the commission that would administer funds generated by a fire fee or future levies.
He said it would be negligent of all parties to not at least discuss these issues — difficult or not.
“I don’t know why we can’t look around and see what they’re doing in other counties and have the conversation,” he said.
Bloom agreed, but said he has no intention of leading that charge.
“Until you can work out with your association some ideas and bigger concepts, I am going to have difficulty helping you because as soon as we try to come up with one of these ideas and the majority of your group is not for it, that’s going to be a big problem,” he said.
Klass said he’s willing to help lead that effort.
“We want to work towards a solution. Even if our department shuts down. I believe in funding emergency services, as you guys do as well. I’m willing and the rest of our leadership is willing to work for a solution or help take the lead on whatever needs done, because the way it is now, it’s not working. It’s getting worse, and that’s nationally. It’s not just in our county.”
