Lang
4/16/22
The city of West Liberty has released an official response to accusations levelled by the city’s volunteer firefighters earlier this week.
In a Wednesday news release, West Liberty firefighters said they’re experiencing escalating hostility from the city through its City Manager, City Clerk, and three members of the City Council. They allege the city has waged war on the volunteers, demanding complete control of their operation and finances, harassing their volunteers, and delaying the hiring of EMS personnel.
The news release also alleges incorrect accounting, mixing Volunteer Fire Department funds with the city’s general account, and failure to account for donations made to the department.
The department’s release states that if the situation is not resolved by May 1st, their volunteers will no longer provide service. That decision was approved unanimously during an April 5th meeting.
City officials have since posted a response to the allegations on the city’s web site, in which those officials are simply referred to as “the City”. It says “the City” has deemed the allegations made by the firefighters to be “either wrong or wholly unfounded”, and that it can’t go into details due to pending litigation.
The letter goes on to call for mediation between the two sides using a neutral third-party mediator. City officials say they are currently exploring other options for fire and EMS service should a deal not be reached by May 1st.