Southern Shores' officials optimistic about Fire Dept. deal

By Michelle Wagner

Officials from the Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Department and the town said Wednesday that negotiations are continuing and they are confident a contract agreement will be reached so that fire services can continue as usual.

The Fire Department on Friday terminated its contract with the town after being unable to negotiate a contract both sides could agree on.

If an agreement cannot be reached, the department will continue to answer emergency fire and rescue calls in the town and honor all mutual aid commitments at least through June 30, Fire Chief Bob Harvey said.

"We all live here and are not going to turn our back on our neighbors," he said.

According to Mayor Don Smith, the town's major contention is with the purchase of new fire equipment and the financial impact it would have on the town. He said the department was proposing a 60 percent increase in the town's financial obligation, which is currently $291,400 annually.

In a posting on the town's Web site, the mayor said the department had financed the purchase of two fire trucks for $1 million and plans to pass the debt to the town for about $130,000 annually over 10 years.

Citing the impact of the economy on the town, Smith said in the posting that the town had adopted a policy of not incurring long-term debt.

But Harvey said the department had not yet submitted a budget and that the town would not be solely responsible for financing the new equipment. The department also contracts with Dare County to serve Martin's Point. Harvey said the department has not approached Dare County on the financing.

Harvey said the department's unhappiness stems from a lack of cooperation on the part of the town to sit down and negotiate a contract that "would provide financial security to us" and lay out future costs for the municipality.

Meanwhile, the two sides have been meeting over the weekend and early this week to reach an agreement that will meet the needs of both the town and the Fire Department.

Harvey said the two groups are close to coming up with a contract. "We are expecting to meet at the end of the week to finish things up. I think we all agreed that everyone needed to step back and take a breath," he said.

Smith said he, too, was optimistic that the groups would reach a mutually beneficial agreement. The two sides are considering a five-year contract to provide more stability for both entities.

Town Manager Charlie Read described the ongoing meetings as "fruitful and cordial." He also said the two groups have been in meetings for a total of about 12 hours over the past several days.