Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fire Services Shared topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council discusses moving forward on shared fire service with West Atlantic City
Summary
Pleasantville councilors debated a proposed shared-service arrangement to provide fire protection in parts of West Atlantic City, citing staffing and apparatus needs; officials said an MOU with indemnification and CPI adjustments will be negotiated and the item will move forward but not be finalized at this meeting.
Pleasantville Councilors discussed a proposed shared-service agreement that would have Pleasantville’s fire department provide coverage to parts of West Atlantic City after that department reported staffing and equipment shortfalls.
At a work-session exchange, an agency official described the operational strain: “They have to call us. We’re the first call to make. We can’t deny them because of the mutual agreements,” and said the town had asked Pleasantville to consider taking over territory and services. Council members and staff said the arrangement would be advanced for further negotiation, not signed at this meeting.
A legal advisor flagged indemnification language in the draft MOU, and the city’s solicitor said ambiguous clauses were clarified so the city would not be indemnified for negligence; the solicitor reported that the MOU was revised to include indemnification for the city where appropriate. Officials also said they would try to negotiate a consumer price index clause to address future cost increases.
Officials discussed financial and operational impacts. One council member estimated the arrangement could “net anywhere from 20 to 25,000 a year,” while a department presenter said the first year’s package includes funds toward purchasing a used truck to strengthen the city’s reserve apparatus. On overtime, the fire representative said, “On a daily basis, it will not occur any overtime…The overtime will come when certain major events happen” that require backfill.
Council members noted that mutual-aid obligations remain in place and that Pleasantville would still respond to major incidents in its own jurisdiction. Several members emphasized that the resolution being considered would move negotiations forward rather than finalize a contract: the MOU changes permit further negotiation and limited adjustments before any signing.
The council asked staff to continue negotiating contract language (including CPI escalation and clarified indemnity) and to return to the council with final terms before execution.
What’s next: staff will continue negotiations and bring a final agreement back to the council for approval; no final contract was signed at the May 18 meeting.
