Potential 2nd Grant Could Save the Day
Claridon Township Trustees received unexpected, unwelcome news from Chardon Fire Chief Justin Geiss at the June 2 trustees meeting.
Claridon Township Trustees received unexpected, unwelcome news from Chardon Fire Chief Justin Geiss at the June 2 trustees meeting.
Chardon Fire Department, contracted to provide fire protection for the western part of the township, needs a new ladder truck and wants Claridon Township to help pay for it, said Trustee Jonathan Tiber in a phone interview that evening.
He expressed concerns about the township’s ability to help fund the truck and, in followup conversations, said he is uncertain if the township can legally contribute to purchasing a vehicle it does not own.
Tiber also said Claridon voters may have to pass a small levy to cover the township’s share, if the contribution is found to be legal.
During a Chardon City Council meeting June 12, Geiss explained how the funding dilemma arose.
Besides the $2.2 million price tag on a new truck and the three-year wait for delivery, the city, which owns the current ladder truck, is asking that the fire department own the new one, Geiss said.
“The ladder truck has historically been owned by the city. That (current truck) was purchased in 2002 and was owned by the city,” he said.
However, after talking to City Manager Randy Sharpe, Geiss learned that city officials would like the fire department to own the new vehicle.
“That was not something we had planned for or budgeted for,” the fire chief said. “We have not had to take out a loan on a vehicle in well over 20 years. Thankfully, we have received the grant money, which we got from the state. That was $1 million, which we put in a CD for 12 months. We’re looking at about $1,050,000 (of that grant money) that will be going towards the truck. The total cost of the truck right now … is $2,229,772.”
A second grant, which would help cover the remainder, has been applied for, but the chief said he is not holding his breath on the department receiving it.
There is an option for prepayment savings. If the department pays in full within 30 days of signing the contract, they save $215,544, he said.
The city’s total initial investment would be $800,000, but, at the end of the repayment period of the fire department to the city, the city’s total investment would be $518,225, Geiss said.
Because the fire department covers the City of Chardon and Chardon Township, as well as a portion of Claridon Township, the chief is asking both townships to share in the cost, he told city council.
“We decided to use the percentages that are based on the contract figures as far as determining what percentage each entity would be paying for that vehicle,” he said.
Because Claridon comprises 13% of the department’s coverage area, Geiss proposed Claridon Township kick in 13% of the cost of a new ladder truck, adding up to about $129,000, Tiber said June 2.
Chardon Township agreed to contribute $150,000 toward the initial down payment, Geiss said during the June 12 city council meeting.
“Claridon Township is struggling with this,” he said. “They’re pretty tight, fiscally, as far as in their fire fund. I’ve been very open with them and we’ve talked a lot and we’re going to make sure to be able to make it work with (for) them.”
Tiber said June 2 he doesn’t believe the township would have any need for a ladder truck that can stretch up three stories because Claridon doesn’t have tall buildings.
The exception might be in case of a fire in the institutional portion of the township on Ravenwood and Merritt roads, which includes University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center and the new Geauga County offices, he said.
The eastern portion of the township is covered by Burton Fire Department and Munson Township, just a few miles to the west of the county building, has a mutual aid agreement with Chardon Fire Department and has a ladder truck, Tiber noted.
In addition, the township has already agreed to a contract with Chardon that increases 8% per year for the next three years, he said, adding trustees agreed to those increases because the fire department justified the future cost of fire protection.
However, taking $129,000 from the general fund for the new ladder truck would stretch the township’s financial situation, Tiber said.
“You can see why this is a hard pill to swallow,” Tiber said he told Geiss.
Currently, the township can’t afford to pave its own parking lot, he said.
“There’s no light at the end of the tunnel for paving our roads after we pave Tewksbury (Lane),” the trustee said.
Tiber said he understands the city generously offered to put the $1.2 million, including $1 million in grant money, up front to purchase the ladder truck, allowing the township to pay the city back, interest-free, at under $13,000 per year over 10 years.
“It’s a lot of money for us,” he said. “We told (Geiss) we can’t pull the trigger at this time.”
During a follow-up phone call June 16, Tiber said trustees met with Geiss in a workshop June 11 and their stance has not changed.
“If we are told they have to get an answer right now, the answer is ‘no,’” he said. “We don’t have enough.”
Also, Tiber said Claridon voters have a roads levy to renew in November, so trustees probably would not put a fire levy on the ballot until the 2026 election.
Meanwhile, the fire department is looking at ordering the truck at some point in October or November, Geiss said.
“Part of the reason for waiting, we do have another grant out there. I’m not holding my breath on it, but if that grant were to be awarded — we submitted for the (remaining cost) of the truck,” Geiss told city council June 12. “So, unless we’re given a reduced amount, (the grant) would cover the remainder of the cost of the vehicle and we could tear these papers up.”
