Dec. 19--PLYMOUTH, PA-- It looks like all three Plymouth fire stations will stay open next year and none of the borough's paid fire truck drivers will be laid off or have their work hours reduced, after all.
It also looks like there will be a hefty property tax increase to both keep full fire protection and hire more police officers, which Plymouth borough council members have said is their top priority.
On Monday, council President Gary Kochinski said the 2018 Plymouth budget that will be advertised this week includes a 25 percent increase in the borough's police presence, no change to any of the borough's fire stations or fire service and a 17.9 percent property tax increase that would increase the borough's millage rate from 5.70 mills to 6.72 mills.
That marked a sharp change of plans since a contentious council meeting on Dec. 10, when council rejected the budget proposal that Kochinski said it now plans to adopt.
The alternate plan council unanimously supported also included hiring more police officers, but it called for a lower tax increase, of about 7.4 percent. It also called for closing Goodwill Hose Company No. 2 on West Main Street, laying off one of Plymouth's two full-time paid fire truck drivers and reducing the work hours of part-time paid drivers.
Public opinion and concerns over public safety compelled the change in plans, Kochinski said Monday.
"When it comes down to safety and maybe putting people in harm's way, you really don't have a choice," he said.
Since council announced its intention to close Goodwill Hose Company, some of the firefighters stationed there have said they would quit rather than transfer to one of Plymouth's other two fire stations, while some paid fire truck drivers have called off work, Kochinski said.
"They were calling up the secretary and removing themselves from the schedule," he said.
Council members also worried that the volunteer drivers who would have covered nighttime and weekend shifts under council's original budget proposal might "burn themselves out" from the added stress, Kochinski said.
Continued public opposition to the closure of Goodwill Hose Company, including a petition drive to keep the station open, also drew council's attention, he said.
The about-face on the proposed budget will not become official until Thursday, when council holds a special meeting to vote on grant applications and to fill a vacant council seat. That is also the deadline for the borough to post and advertise next year's budget, which council plans to adopt on Dec. 31.
While council could still change course yet again and revert to its original budget proposal, Kochinski said that is not likely.
"The last thing we want to do is raise taxes higher, but it looks like there is no choice," he said.
Council members have said repeatedly over the past month that Plymouth needs more police officers to combat a sharp increase in crime. They hope to have four or five full-time officers and up to eight part-time officers patrolling the borough by early next year, Kochinski said.
Mary Jarrett, who helped to distribute the petition in support of all three Plymouth fire stations, said she is not thrilled with the idea of a large tax hike but supports Plymouth's emergency services and emergency responders.
"We like our fire service the way it is," she said. "I think our fire service is important. I feel very strongly about it."
Jarrett, who applied to fill the vacant council seat that will be filled Thursday, said she thinks council could reduce the size of the tax increase through cuts to non-essential services.
Thursday's council meeting starts at noon at the Plymouth municipal building on West Shawnee Avenue.
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