Tensions were heightened Monday at a meeting of the Springfield Township trustees.
Dozens of citizens, including many from neighboring Spencer Township, attended the meeting to discuss the future of the Spencer Township Fire Department.
At 7:42 p.m., the department’s fate was sealed.
In a 2-1 vote, Springfield Township trustees voted to take over service of the Spencer Township Fire Department. Andy Glenn and Bob Bethel voted in favor. Marylin Yoder voted against action.
“We’re now indentured servants to Springfield Township,” exclaimed D. Hilarion Smith, a former Spencer Township trustee.
“We’re quite capable of taking care of ourselves,” he added. “We really don’t need you, and most of all, we don’t want you.”
In 1983, a similar scenario played out. The Spencer Township Fire Department dissolved because of multiple outstanding lawsuits, with Springfield Township assuming service. However, that only lasted for one year. In the 33 years since, the Spencer Township Fire Department has maintained uninterrupted service.
The Spencer Township trustees at a special meeting two weeks ago voted to transfer fire service to Springfield Township, saying it was the fiscally responsible thing to do because the township could not afford to continue. Trustees Teresa Bettinger and Shawn Valentine each voted yes. Trustee Michael Hood was absent.
The months-long talks between the townships were shrouded in secrecy. Ms. Yoder was kept from the talks, which were orchestrated by Mr. Valentine, who did some negotiating from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he is on military deployment.
The behind-closed-doors activity caught residents of both townships off guard, eliciting a wide range of emotions.
“The meeting that this contract was drawn up in will be tested in the court of law,” said former Spencer Township trustee Curt Lancaster, alluding to an Ohio Supreme Court Case involving Mr. Smith and Mr. Valentine.
Mr. Lancaster also issued a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the emails of each Springfield Township trustee as well as the emails of Springfield Township Fire Chief Barry Cousino.
Spencer Township spends about $500,000 per year on its fire department, though about $120,000 of that cost is recovered. By contracting with Springfield, Spencer will pay $128,000 the first year and 3 percent annual increases thereafter over 10 years.
“There are no financial constraints” requiring the service transfer, said Spencer Township Fire Chief Carl Arnold.
The service is proposed to start July 1. Spencer Township’s firehouse would be staffed around the clock with three individuals, including at least one paramedic at all times.
While it will still be called the Spencer Township Fire Department, its staff will be Springfield Township employees. Spencer Township Fire Department’s 18 employees, including four volunteers, will need to apply to Springfield Township to stay with the department. Mr. Cousino said 6 to 10 employees will be hired, and preference will be given to Spencer Township firefighters. When Springfield took over fire service for the village of Holland, it did not hire any Holland firefighters.
The Spencer Township department also responds to EMS calls and provides coverage for Swanton and Harding townships — contracts Springfield Township plans to honor.
The Springfield Township Fire Department has 72 members and operates three fire stations.
Consolidating resources will allow Spencer Township to keep its fire station and pay for upgrades with the savings, Spencer trustees said.
“It’s much more cost effective,” Mr. Cousino said. “It’s a win-win for most communities, even though not everyone is going to agree with that.”
Contact Kyle Rowland at: krowland@theblade.com, 419-724-6282, or on Twitter @KyleRowland.
First Published May 3, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
