Polk County redirects Goodrich fire territory, routes quarterly funds to city pending compliance

Polk County Commissioner’s Court on Jan. 28 upheld a prior reassignment of territory from the Goodrich Volunteer Fire Department to Livingston Volunteer Fire Department and directed that quarterly county fire funding for the affected area be paid to the City of Goodrich until Goodrich VFD meets county MOU requirements and provides required documentation.

County staff and the fire marshal reviewed Goodrich VFD’s training records, roster and response metrics and reported multiple concerns: the department’s roster listed 13 eligible members but staff estimated only about eight were active, with historically about one‑third of those responding to calls; acknowledgment times for dispatch were sometimes 8–12 minutes and on‑scene times could reach 20 minutes in the worst examples. Staff said documentation for ISO (Insurance Services Office) compliance and for worker’s compensation/accident insurance had not been provided in required form despite prior requests.

Because of those deficiencies, the county removed specified outlying territory from Goodrich VFD and assigned it to Livingston VFD. At the Jan. 28 meeting commissioners voted to (1) continue city service coverage for Goodrich proper and (2) direct the county’s quarterly payment that would have gone to Goodrich Volunteer Fire Department to the City of Goodrich for resident protection until the volunteer department supplies required documentation and complies with the county MOU. Staff said the change in territory funding at issue amounts to approximately $2,300 (the county noted the Goodrich base funding is about $16,000 and the territory adjustment is modest by comparison).

The court also set a compliance milestone tied to the county’s annual MOU cycle and budget calendar: Goodrich VFD must provide the required documentation before the next budget approval cycle (staff referenced October 1 as the next annual MOU/budget milestone). If the department demonstrates compliance the court said it would consider returning territory.

Why it matters: counties distribute funding and territory assignments to ensure adequate fire coverage; the county cited concerns about response times, equipment, training and insurance that it said posed public‑safety risks. The court emphasized resident protection and said the city should receive quarterly funds for now so residents in Goodrich receive services.