Thirty-eight years ago, thirty-nine by next July, the Wakette Rural Fire Department took over the assets, including the personnel, of the Town of Wake Forest Fire Department. Next year, the Town of Wake Forest will take over the assets of the independent Wake Forest Fire Department – except for the “assets reasonably necessary to conduct the Department Fish Fry.
Good for the firefighters and the board of directors! Financial considerations are the spur for this consolidation, but the traditions and legacy of the department, whatever its name, wherever it is on an organizational chart, are going to be preserved.
The Wake Forest Fire Department’s board of directors met on Sept. 9 and adopted a resolution offering all the department’s assets to the town with the exception of the department’s corporate charter and the fish fry equipment.
In turn, the Wake Forest Town Board Tuesday night agreed to assume full responsibility for all fire protection systems, equipment and real property of the department on July 1, 2020.
It was a quiet ending after a long study of the situation.
Commissioner Liz Simpers said she wanted to make sure that the town’s human relations department “has a strong role in this. I don’t want to start and then lose control of what we’re going.”
“I personally think it should have been done years ago,” Commissioner Brian Pate said. “I just want to do the right thing by these guys [firefighters].” The firefighters will have to transition from a 401K retirement plan to the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees Retirement System the town and other municipalities use, and there are complications in the rules which might be difficult to overcome for some longtime firefighters.
“We’re not rushing into anything,” Commissioner Anne Reeve said. “We’ve been working on this most of a year. If we waited any longer it would cost more.” She also said the state retirement system would help present and future firefighters.
Commissioner Greg Harrington asked if [property] taxes will go up because of the consolidation. The study made by EnviroSafe estimated it will mean a 3-cent property tax increase.
“I would rather tell you it’s three cents and then come back and tell you it’s one,” Chief Financial Officer Aileen Staples said, rather than having to do it the other way. “We’ll just have to see how it work out,” she said, “but we’ve done a good job before in putting together a budget. This board wants to do it the right way.” (Note: There will be a county-wide real estate reappraisal in 2020, and the town generally realizes a larger tax base as a result. That means one cent in property tax in 2019 will yield more money after 2020 so it is difficult to compare tax rates before and after.)
Commissioner Bridget Wall-Lennon was absent.
“If we don’t do this thing now we’re still going to have to give more money to the fire department,” Mayor Vivian Jones said. “We’re giving them $1.6 million now. They get 12.6 percent of our budget. I don’t want to give them more money.” She also said the town board is trying to do what is best for the town and its residents.
“Eric [Vernon, the longtime town attorney] and I talked about this,” the mayor said. “It’s very much the same kind of process when we merged our water and sewer systems [with Raleigh]. I think it’s a good thing.
Town Manager Kip Padgett said the town and fire department would be setting up some working groups. “Some things will be easy. Some will take some time to work through.”
The town’s human relations department headed by Virginia Jones will meet with every firefighter to work out how best to transition them to the state retirement system and other town benefits. The town will waive the six-month employment introductory period for the firefighters.
Fire Chief Ron Early, who usually attends the town board meetings, was present with about 10 firefighters.
The Wake Forest Fire Department has five fire stations, 77 paid firefighters and 55 volunteer firefighters, six administrative personnel and nine part-time employees. It provides fire protection, emergency medical and rescue services and public education for the town and the surrounding unincorporated area in the Wakette Fire District.
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In other business, David Bland, a Democratic party activist, and state Rep. Terence Everitt (D) District 35 asked the board to adopt a resolution asking the U.S. Congress to lift the time limits on the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and asking the North Carolina General Assembly to pass a bill ratifying the ERA.
Everitt said over 52 percent of the state’s population is female. “The truth is they do not have the legal stance that males have.” By encouraging the state’s legislative body to extend the ERA deadline will be one way to make sure the North Carolina can vote to “put this over the top” and make the ERA the law of the land.
Jones said the board will discuss this at a later time.
*Thomas Kuryla, who owns an acre just north of the Franklin County line abutting the east side of the Richland Hills subdivision, asked the board for an easement. The board agreed to direct the town staff to work out the easement problem so Kuryla can build a house.
*There were no speakers for the two public hearings – to close a portion of Brewer Circle and to annex the future Forestville Townes subdivision – and the board approved motions to approve both.
*Under the consent agenda, the board accepted a petition to annex the future Averette-Tryon subdivision, a second petition for annexation of the Soule property on Wall Road, accepted a grant of $10,000 from the National Endowment of the Arts to support the Shades of Gospel concert which will take place at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre on Jan. 25, 2020, and approved a resolution recognizing Bryan Smith on his retirement.
*The board also approved the minor site plan for the Wheat Field shopping center on Forestville Road. Senior Planner Patrick Reidy presented the site plan, which calls for four one-story buildings and the extension of Rogers Branch Road from its present dead end to Forestville Road and the traffic signal at Foundation Drive, the entrance to Heritage High School. The property was rezoned to conditional use neighborhood business on Jan, 18, 2005.
*The board approved the sale of 0.019 acres at 203 Brooks Street to Hidden Jewel Ventures Ltd which is renovating the former La Foresta restaurant to a brewery and pub.
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3 Responses
The WF Fire Department has had a GREAT reputation, in and out of, our city and county.
Your police department doesn’t.
I hope that your public employees, who will now be running the fire department, won’t cost the taxpayers more (which has been promised will happen) while devolving the quality of of your first responders/ fire department.
I do not understand why the town has not taken control of the FD years ago. Now all of the sudden there is a rush. The turnover rate is 5% higher than average. On the flip side our town hires already trained Police Officer from the cities. I am dismayed by the fact that no one questioned the timing of this. Not any of the Commissioners or any of the seven candidates. We were promised lower water rates and lower electric rates within the past 13 years that I have lived in this town. I’m still waiting for them. I hope that the tax increase will only be three cents when it’s all said and done.
I don’t see the rationale behind the statement that propertaxes will go up 3 cents. Why is it costing more now? Based on the buying power of WF, the overhead should be lower. I am sure there atr HR/admin duplications. I feel as though our elected officials see an endless pot of gold that they are charged with spending. Your increased taxes on the poor and fixed income retirees should be considered.