Lang
4/29/22
West Liberty firefighters have extended their deadline for terminating service if a new agreement is not reached with city officials.
West Liberty fire chief Kirt Sickels reached out to KCJJ Thursday night to announce that negotiations with the city continue, and that the current negotiations have gone well enough that the deadline has been extended from May 1st to June 3rd.
Earlier this month, it was announced that the firefighters and EMS personnel gave the city until the original May 1st deadline to address claims that included escalating hostility from the city through its city manager, city clerk, and three members of the city council. They allege that the city has waged war on the volunteers…demanding complete control of its operation and finances, harassing volunteers, and delaying the hiring of EMS personnel.
A letter to the city also claimed incorrect accounting, mixing volunteer fire department funds with the city’s general account, failure to account for donations made to the department and other issues.
Members of the West Liberty Volunteer Fire Department have established an association as a Chapter 28E Agency to be governed by a board in which the volunteer department will answer to members of the rural areas as well as the city. The city has yet to agree to become a part of the agency.
Sickels now says the two sides are making progress in negotiations, and he went out of his way to praise the efforts of West Liberty mayor Katie McCullough. Sickels says McCullough has “worked very diligently to get the necessary parties together and start working on a formal plan”. He added that it was McCullough who suggested extending the deadline for termination of service to June 3rd as negotiations continue. Sickels accepted that date as an act of good faith.
The latest negotiations were held during last Tuesday’s West Liberty city council work session.