Dispute over rescue building and missing ordinance stalls proposed Quincy-area joint fire district

Quincy Mayor Daniel Robinson and members of the public at the Aug. 6 council meeting discussed why a planned joint fire district involving Quincy, DeGraff, Miami Township and Pleasant Township has not moved forward.

Residents and trustees said the Village’s refusal to donate the current rescue building has stalled formation of the district. Marvin McCulley, who is chairing the committee to form the district, asked whether Quincy planned to join and participate in a tax levy to fund the new district. Mayor Robinson read earlier minutes that committed the Village to pay Riverside E.M.S. for ambulance coverage at an estimated $5,000 to $10,000 until Dec. 31, 2024, while the district was to be formed.

Council members and the Village solicitor said the formation effort is blocked not by a single vote at this meeting but by the absence of a formal ordinance adopted by each entity and by the failure of the committee’s attorney to respond to repeated contact. Solicitor Steve Fansler told the meeting he has been unable to reach David Comstock, the attorney who had agreed to assist with district formation; the group agreed Fansler would contact DeGraff’s solicitor and the townships’ legal representatives to determine next steps. Council members also said the Village had previously agreed in November 2023 to cover one-quarter of Comstock’s fees and had paid invoices that were submitted.

Several attendees said Quincy’s refusal to donate the rescue building is the reason other entities have not completed formation. Council members responded that donation was never formally approved by Quincy; the Village had previously supported a $1 lease while a new building is constructed and the original building would revert to the Village when no longer needed. Because no ordinance has been passed by all four entities, Fan sler said no formal action can be taken and a ballot levy is likely infeasible because petition deadlines were imminent.

The session turned heated: according to the minutes, the Quincy–Miami Township Fire Chief left midway through the discussion, reported to have used profanity and to have slammed the door, saying, “he was done with all this.”

What happens next: Solicitor Fansler will contact the other jurisdictions’ legal representatives to attempt to restart the committee’s work. No ordinance was adopted at the Aug. 6 meeting; the committee will need a formal ordinance from each participating entity before the district can be legally formed.