Dalton council approves to audit EWFD; meets today about contract

DGKN staff report

DALTON  Village council has a special meeting at 7 p.m. today at Village Green Park to discuss contracting with East Wayne Fire District. Action is expected to be taken at the meeting, which will be at the park to be able to follow social distancing guidelines.

At the meeting, council members are expected to hear and vote on the first of three readings to change the wording in the contract between the village and the fire district. The request of the change of language in the current agreement is to include that in the event that EWFD were to pass an operating levy, the Village of Dalton would continue to pay $72,000 per year with the understanding that the money is used exclusively to provide staffing to man Station 1.

EWFD board of directors would provide the proposed changes, which would be approved by council in ordinance form.

At last week’s regular meeting, council voted to approve up to $5,000 to perform an audit on the fire district.

This comes a month after a settlement agreement was announced following several years of litigation surrounding a contract dispute between East Wayne Fire District and Sugar Creek Township.

Village council voted to accept a motion to determine if the contract between the village and the fire district is fiscally responsible. Council President Pat Sword proposed the motion at the April 20 meeting for the mayor to request the state auditor to perform an objective third party review to determine whether the current and proposed contracts between the village and EWFD are fiscally responsible to Dalton residents. The motion passed with Sword and council members Dee Rodi-Barbera, Mike Scheibe and Mike Gamble voting for the measure. Council members Jim Bucklew and Terry Johns voted against.