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Eldridge council approves steps to create city-run fire department amid volunteer ultimatum
Summary
The Eldridge City Council approved a first reading and a resolution to establish a city-run fire department and authorized a fire-chief recruitment process even as the volunteer company said its 20 members will not accept appointments if absorbed effective Oct. 1.
The Eldridge City Council voted to advance a plan to convert the volunteer department into a city-managed fire department, approving the ordinance first reading (2026-11) and resolution (2026-12) and authorizing the recruitment and selection process for a fire chief.
Mayor Scott Campbell, opening the public safety discussion, said the city must prioritize residents' safety and continue to engage the volunteer company: "you have to put the residents of your community 1st at all times." Staff told the council it has been working on contingency planning and a transition timeline ahead of the October 1 date cited by volunteers.
The council approved the ordinance's first reading and the resolution on roll calls recorded in the meeting. Councilmember Dockery registered a recorded "Nay" on the resolution establishing a fire department; other named members recorded in the transcript voted "Aye."
Volunteer leaders told the council that the membership had formally declined consideration of appointments to a city department. Brian Yanke, secretary of the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Company, read a letter saying, effective 10/01/2026, "all 20 members of the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Company are formally declining consideration of appointment as a member of the City of Eldridge Fire Department," and warned the city it could not operate the service by hiring a single paid employee.
Council members stressed a need to keep talking and to include volunteers in hiring. The council moved to authorize a recruitment and selection process for a fire chief; members asked that volunteers provide names to sit on the hiring committee and that the city adopt an objective rubric for evaluating candidates. City legal counsel advised that moving forward with first readings does not foreclose continued discussions.
Next steps: staff will post the fire-chief job, form the hiring process and report back to the council; council members said they would continue outreach to volunteers to try to avoid service gaps.
