Union urges study commission to keep fire director in charter; working group seeks budget data
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Summary
At the Dec. 15 study-commission meeting, Local 96 urged commissioners not to replace the charter's director of fire services with a 'fire coordinator' and cited an ESCI study recommending three staff in inspections/investigations; the fire working group asked the fire director and volunteer chiefs for four years of budget detail to inform charter recommendations.
John Bridal, president of IFF Local 96, used public comment time to oppose a proposed charter change that would replace a "director of fire services" with a "fire coordinator." "It is our understanding that the replacement of the director of fire services with a fire coordinator was suggested to bring forward to a vote of the citizens of Butte Silver Bow in 2026," Bridal said. He pointed to a 1996 ballot in which citizens removed a 'fire coordinator' role and warned the commission not to "go backwards."
Bridal also described operational concerns: union requests for one additional firefighter per shift and better staffing for the inspections and investigations office have not been met; he said "Fire Marshal Lee runs our program by himself," and he cited a study paid for by the county from Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) that recommended at least three individuals in that office.
At the working-group update, members said they are continuing outreach to former director Jeff Miller and volunteer chiefs and requested financial transparency to build a framework for charter language. Commissioner Dillon asked the director of fire services (referred to in the meeting as Director Osborne) and the volunteer chiefs to provide a one- or two-page summary showing the fire department’s budget over the past four years, how funds were allocated between paid and volunteer departments, and examples of how the director has distributed funds.
County attorney and commissioners cautioned that budget questions should include both county allocations and funds volunteer departments raise independently. "The volunteer fire departments do get their own funding ... and that will actually give you a true number of what each individual volunteer fire department's budget is," the county attorney said, and commissioners urged the working group to meet with the director and volunteer chiefs for contextual explanation before drawing firm conclusions.
What the commission asked for: A historical budget summary (past ~4 years) showing total fire funding, distributions to paid staff and to individual volunteer stations, grants or fundraising amounts that flowed directly to volunteer departments, and an explanation of current allocation processes. Working-group members suggested the chief could provide a concise annual breakdown and suggested meeting with volunteer chiefs for fuller context.
What remains unresolved: No charter language was adopted; the union’s request that the commission "follow the will of the voters" and leave the director role in the charter remains an input to deliberation. The working group said it will use the requested financial information as a baseline for any further recommendations to the preliminary report.
