Data show Lititz Borough carries larger share of regional fire/rescue workload; council warned of higher future costs
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Summary
Deputy fire commissioner Mike Smith told council time-tracking shows Lititz Borough accounts for about 42–43% of call workload, higher than the 34% contribution the borough currently pays; staff estimated the shift could increase borough costs by roughly $35,000 when the intergovernmental agreement is renewed in 2027.
Mike Smith (speaker 11), who serves as deputy fire commissioner, told council that the fire commission’s time-tracking over the last 14–15 months shows Lititz Borough absorbs roughly 42–43% of the workload — higher than the 34% contribution the borough has paid under a verbal arrangement when the deputy position was created.
Mike explained the historical reason for the 34% figure: a verbal agreement among municipalities when the deputy fire commissioner role was added. He said the newer time-tracking data “shows about 42–43% of our time is in the borough,” and added that when the intergovernmental agreement comes up for renewal in 2027 the borough may face a higher percentage-based contribution.
Staff ran a budget exercise and estimated an additional cost in the range of roughly $35,000 would be required to align contributions with the tracked workload. Council members noted the regional nature of calls — many visitors and events raise Lititz’s service demand — and discussed negotiating with neighboring townships before the agreement’s renewal.
No change to today's budget was made; council members agreed to plan and discuss the issue with the other municipalities as the intergovernmental agreement approaches renewal.
