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Council permits Emery County mineral funds to reimburse firefighter training and fuel
Summary
Cleveland approved the Emery County Fire District's plan to use a $10,000 town allocation from county mineral funds for recruitment and retention—covering training reimbursements, mileage and equipment replacement.
The Cleveland Town Council voted March 13 to allow the local fire department to spend a county-provided allocation intended for recruitment and retention, the department's assistant chief told the council.
Preston Wilson, the assistant fire chief, said Emery County earmarked $10,000 to each town's fire department from mineral-related funds for recruitment and retention purposes. Cleveland's share is available and the fire department is seeking authority from the council to reimburse volunteers for training time and travel expenses and to use remaining funds for worn structural turnout gear.
"The county through the mineral money... each got $10,000. And it's only to be used for recruitment and retention," Preston Wilson said.
Councilors discussed permissible documentation for reimbursements. The department said it would require receipts for fuel and use state mileage rates when appropriate. The department also described a plan to offer training-completion or service-duration bonuses as one way to encourage retention.
Council member Kristen Bose raised recordkeeping and fairness concerns; town staff and council agreed reimbursements should be accompanied by receipts or mileage logs and reflect equitable recognition for both new recruits and longer-serving members. The council approved the request by voice vote.
The funds are already held by the local department; the council's action authorized the department to proceed with reimbursements and equipment purchases consistent with the mineral-fund restriction to recruitment and retention.
