Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Billing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioner urges MOU to offset Westfield Fire & Rescue billing after prosecutor opinion
Summary
A commissioner raised concerns that Westfield Fire & Rescue’s proposed billing for emergency responses at the transfer station may be unauthorized by statute; county leaders discussed using district funds and asked staff to negotiate a memorandum of understanding to offset public-safety costs.
During the discussion period, Commissioner Steve raised concerns about Westfield Fire & Rescue’s intent to set up a billing system to charge for responses at the county transfer station and said the prosecutor’s office advised that single-point facility billing is not authorized by statute.
"They were going to charge... to set up a billing... system for response to our transfer station," Steve said, noting the prosecutor’s email and research. He said the county’s policy committee recommended using district funds to mitigate the fiscal impact on Westfield rather than permitting direct billing.
Commissioners and staff discussed technical and mitigation steps — citing lithium‑ion battery fires and other household hazardous-waste calls as drivers of increased responses — and noted investments in heat sensors and other equipment intended to detect hot loads earlier and reduce emergency responses. The board supported staff (Matt and Barb) meeting with Westfield to develop a memorandum of understanding that would base any offsets on the previous year's response history and allow annual evaluation of payments.
No formal vote was required; the discussion resulted in direction for staff to negotiate terms and report back to the board.
