Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves $500 retention payments for volunteer firefighters from $10,000 recruitment grant
Summary
Huntington City Council authorized $500 payments to eligible active volunteer firefighters using $10,000 in recruitment and retention funding; council members said the department will set up its own bank account next year and the city will assist with disbursement.
The Huntington City Council voted Dec. 18 to allow the fire department to use part of a $10,000 recruitment and retention grant to provide $500 to each eligible active volunteer firefighter.
According to the presentation to council, "Huntington Fire Department was awarded $10,000 to use for recruitment and retention," and the department asked the council to approve $500 payments to eligible firefighters. The department noted nine eligible active firefighters, which would make the total payout approximately $4,500. The speaker said the funds are meant as incentives because volunteer firefighters are not paid wages by the department.
Council members voted to approve the disbursement. The fire department representative said the department hopes to open its own bank account in the next calendar year to manage department funds and that city staff have already transferred some banking relationships and are processing paperwork to allow internal department accounts.
The council did not adopt any ordinance related to compensation; this was a one-time use of awarded grant funds for recruitment/retention incentives. City staff and the fire department are expected to follow up on the mechanics of disbursement and department account setup in early 2025.
The council's approval authorizes the department to disburse the approved retention payments; timing and final accounting will be reported back to the council.
