Richmond Board approves firefighter hires, boat change order and property sale; tables animal-shelter and easement items

The Richmond City Board of Public Works and Safety on Aug. 28 approved multiple personnel and procurement actions, including hiring contracts for three probationary firefighters and a small change order for an inflatable rescue boat, and approved a resolution to buy three Wayne County lots for transfer to nonprofit Intend Indiana LLC. The board voted to table renewal of the city's contract with the Henry County Humane Society and to table a proposed temporary construction easement for work near the gorge.

Board action determined the immediate course on staffing and small capital changes while pausing two items that prompted follow-up requests for more information.

Most immediately, the board approved a list of new fire-hire candidates and individual employment agreements that require each probationary firefighter to obtain paramedic certification within five years. Chief of EMS Nick Arbogast told the board that the agreements state that "the probationary firefighter of the Richmond Fire Department acknowledges and agrees to obtain a paramedic certification within 5 years of the date of hire. The city of Richmond Fire Department will provide all necessary costs associated with the education required to achieve the certification." The contracts also include a repayment provision that requires the employee to reimburse the city on a schedule in the event the employee leaves before obtaining certification.

A representative of the law department added language into the standard agreement giving the fire chief final authority over training enrollments and budgetary decisions; that provision says the chief has "final approval authority over employee's attendance and enrollment" and that an employee who attends an alternative program without prior approval "shall be deemed by employee in the city to be a voluntary and independent initiative" under the cited federal regulation. Board members confirmed the revised paragraph had been added and said the change had been vetted through the law department's staff.

The board approved three individual firefighter contracts by voice vote: contract 1182025 for Grace Victoria Townsend, contract 1192025 for Dylan Matthew Cole and contract 1202025 for Benjamin Bonnier. The board also approved the department's new-hire list effective Aug. 19, 2025, to remain active until exhausted.

On equipment, the board approved change order number 1 to contract 1052025 with Rescue 1 Corporation to lengthen the outboard motor shaft to accommodate an aluminum hull on a newly purchased inflatable rescue boat; the change order increases the shaft from a 15-inch to a 20-inch length and is listed at $217.

In property business, the board approved Resolution 8-20-25 authorizing purchase of three Wayne County properties at 204 S. 13th St., 441 S. 11th St. and 51 S. 15th St. Mesia Haines, strategic initiatives administrator for the mayor's office, said the properties will be transferred to Intend Indiana LLC for land banking and redevelopment to support that organization's housing mission. Haines told the board the action mirrors a Wayne County resolution and cited city authority under Indiana code numbers noted in the packet.

Two items were tabled. The board tabled contract 1252025, the proposed renewal with Henry County Humane Society for an annual payment of $41,200 (monthly $3,433.33) covering Jan. 1'Dec. 31, 2026, so staff can gather additional information about shelter activity and alternatives. City Controller Tracy McGinnis told the board that the city's intake numbers had fallen from prior years: 21 animals brought in in 2024 and 60 animals so far in 2025, and she said the board had not yet received a final disposition (adopted/euthanized) breakdown from Henry County. After extended discussion, a board member moved to table the contract to allow staff to check locally and to involve the police chief and other stakeholders.

The board also tabled Resolution 10-20-25, which would have authorized a temporary right-of-way construction easement for work by a contractor on behalf of Norfolk Southern Railway. Perry Seacrest, substituting for Matt Keller, said the easement would cover work on a bridge at the north end of the referenced parcel and said the easement is valued in the staff memo at "$140,000 $103" for the duration of the project and would involve approximately 41,500 square feet of disturbance. A board member asked staff to confirm the work will not interfere with the city's gorge activation project and moved to table the resolution for that reason.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes from Aug. 21, 2025: motion approved by voice vote. - Claims for payment, $532,477.65: approved by voice vote. - Contract 1182025 (Grace Victoria Townsend), employment agreement requiring paramedic certification within five years and reimbursement schedule: approved (motion and second; voice vote). - Contract 1192025 (Dylan Matthew Cole), same terms: approved (motion and second; voice vote). - Contract 1202025 (Benjamin Bonnier), same terms: approved (motion and second; voice vote). - Contract 1252025 (Henry County Humane Society), annual contract for $41,200 (term 01/01/2026'12/31/2026): tabled for further information. - Change order 1 to contract 1052025 (Rescue 1 Corporation inflatable boat; longer shaft for aluminum bottom): approved (listed at $217; motion and second; voice vote). - Resolution 8-20-25 (purchase of three Wayne County parcels for transfer to Intend Indiana LLC): approved (motion and second; voice vote). - Resolution 10-20-25 (temporary construction easement tied to Norfolk Southern work): tabled to confirm no conflict with gorge activation project. - New-hire list for the Richmond Fire Department (Grace Townsend; Dylan Cole; Benjamin Bonnier): approved (motion and second; voice vote).

What happened next

Board members instructed staff to obtain more information about Henry County Humane Society operations and the local shelter options and to involve Chief Weatherly and police and animal-control stakeholders in the follow-up. Staff will report back at a future meeting.

(Reporting by the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting minutes and staff presentations.)