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Mount Vernon staff, chief ask council to approve five‑year College Township fire/EMS renewal to meet June 1 deadline
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Summary
City staff and the fire chief reviewed a five‑year renewal of the College Township (including Kenyon College) fire/EMS contract that expires May 31 and asked council to approve it tonight so the township trustees can adopt it; staff cited a contract value of $500,000 and minor drafting updates including a signature‑block change and an emergency clause addressing a hypothetical abolition of property taxes.
Mount Vernon staff and the fire chief reviewed a five‑year renewal of the city's contract with College Township (which covers Kenyon College) for fire and EMS services. The renewal, the chief said, is a continuation of the current arrangement and is set to take effect June 1.
The fire chief (presenting) said this is "our first renewal" and that "this contract is up May 31. So we would like to get this passed tonight." He described modest edits to the contract: removing items that are now provided by the township (vehicles/equipment), clarifying staffing language to permit one sworn officer and flexible firefighter/paramedic coverage, and adjusting the signature block to use the chief operating officer rather than the president for one signatory.
A staff figure cited the contract value in committee discussion as $500,000 and noted the contract includes provisions for EMS billing and a contingency paragraph addressing a hypothetical state‑level abolition of property taxes; in that scenario, staff said the parties would sit down to renegotiate in good faith.
Council members asked about call volume (the chief said it has been "pretty steady") and about whether the city is effectively providing a subsidized service (staff said College Township pays for the service and EMS billing offsets costs). Council discussed timing and were told that approving the contract tonight would enable College Township's trustees to meet their schedule so the contract can take effect June 1.
Next steps: staff requested council approval in time for township adoption; the committee adjourned and the legislative session was to begin later this evening.
