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Montgomery Township debates converting volunteer corps to paid fire staff; board schedules follow-up meeting
Summary
Residents and officials diverged over a proposal to add paid firefighters and raise property taxes to fund 24/7 coverage. Supporters cited slowing volunteer response and public-safety risks; opponents asked for phased options or an independent study. The board set a Nov. 14 follow-up meeting and tabled final budget action.
Montgomery Township officials and residents spent the majority of the Nov. 11 meeting debating a proposal from Fire Chief Bill Wegman to add paid firefighters and change the township’s staffing model.
Chief Bill Wegman presented four staffing scenarios and related millage options, saying volunteer availability has declined and response times have slipped. "We are looking at an increase in our revenues related to the sewer rate increase" (presented in the same meeting), and for the fire proposal he explained the intent to create reliable 24/7 coverage and to stagger hires to improve response times, citing data from county response reports.
The proposal prompted more than two hours of public comment. Supporters including Bernie Hines, a longtime volunteer and former battalion chief, urged the board to adopt the chief’s plan, noting the township’s changing traffic and commercial profile and arguing that faster, staffed responses save lives. "How do you put a price on a home, on a life?" Hines asked.
Opponents and cautious residents raised financial concerns and asked for more study. Several speakers, including Denise Eshelman and others from homeowners associations, said notification and outreach to HOAs had been incomplete and urged a phased approach or an independent consulting study before a tax increase. "An increase of 1.4 mills is a significant burden for many on fixed incomes," one resident observed.
Board members acknowledged both the operational need and the fiscal strain. Multiple supervisors said they wanted more granular numbers and scenario analysis — including clear links between hires, schedules and exact millage impacts — before approving a final plan. The board unanimously directed staff to advertise a special public meeting on Nov. 14 at 10:00 a.m. to revisit the staffing scenarios and associated financial projections, and formally tabled the fire-staffing expansion budget and the broader 2026 township budget to that Friday meeting.
What happens next: the board will hold the advertised Nov. 14 meeting to examine revised scenarios, consultant options and the fund impacts before making any formal budget adoption or tax decisions.
