Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fire Department Funds topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pastor Scott Townsend urges transparency after Selectmen place donated fire-department funds under town control
Summary
At the Nov. 10, 2014 Cushing Selectmen meeting, Pastor Scott Townsend read a letter objecting to the board's decision to deposit earned and donated Fire Department funds into a town account; Selectmen said the move, recommended by MMA, was intended to create a record and not to reduce the department's budget.
Pastor Scott Townsend, a Cushing resident and member of the volunteer fire department, read a letter at the Nov. 10, 2014 Selectmen meeting objecting to a recent decision to place both earned and donated money into a town-controlled Fire Department account. Townsend said citizens had not been consulted and that money given as charitable contributions to the "Cushing Fireman's Association" could be used by the Selectmen to reduce the department's annual budget or otherwise limit the department's access to the funds.
Selectman Daniel Staples responded that the fire trucks and related equipment belong to the town and that money raised in connection with town-owned equipment should be under town control. Chair Alton Grover told Townsend "it was not the board's intention to reduce the Fire Dept. budget" and said the Selectmen did not want to take funds away from the department. Selectmen Laurie Haynes and Martha Marchut said the board wanted the department to have access to the money but also needed a record to show how funds were spent.
Selectman Staples said that "MMA had advised the money should be in an account so there would be a record of what the Fire Dept. did with the funds," and Selectman Marchut said such accountability would be a protection for the volunteer firefighters. The Selectmen praised the department's response during and after the Nov. 2 snowstorm, saying the town was fortunate to have a strong volunteer force.
The meeting minutes record discussion but show no formal vote altering the status of existing donated funds during this meeting. The Selectmen's statements and the public comment indicate the disagreement centers on control and transparency for funds associated with town-owned equipment; the Town Clerk subsequently identified an accounting error on a cemetery mowing bill earlier in the meeting, prompting a separate reversal of a prior transfer motion.
The Selectmen adjourned at 6:40 P.M.
