PA Borough Debates Funding Reinstated Fire Company

Jefferson Hills council continues to be at odds about funding a recently reinstated borough fire company.

A motion made by Councilman Keith Reynolds to give Gill Hall Volunteer Fire Company $20,000 from the borough’s general fund was tabled by a 5-2 vote Monday night.

RELATED: PA Fire Company Reinstated on Probationary

“We reinstated them, but we haven’t given them any funding,” Reynolds said. “If we don’t (fund them), you truly don’t have an organization. At the end of the day, this is truly about getting another organization open to support the residents of this community.”

Those who wanted to delay the funding were council President Karen Bucy, Vice President David Montgomery, Vickie Ielase, Melissa Steffey and Nicole Ruscitto.

Montgomery said real estate and earned income tax revenue is expected to be down this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the borough needs to be more cautious with its money.

Gill Hall was reinstated late last month on a probationary basis as a certified borough company after being idle for more than a year.

It’s eligible for a portion of the borough’s fire tax revenue as a result of that move. How much has yet to be determined.

The borough budgeted $442,800 for fire protection this year.

Council voted in January 2019 to drop the department as a recognized company, meaning it was cut off from municipal funds and no longer received dispatches from Allegheny County Emergency Services.

Reynolds said the borough has about $1 million in reserve funds, and it would not be difficult for Gill Hall to get back up and running with a start-up fund.

But emotions over the fire company came to a head with an exchange between Mayor Janice Cmar and Steffey when the mayor said council wanted to take away the fire company’s ability to fundraise via mailers.

Cmar also talked about how the amount of volunteer firefighters in the borough was decreasing while those still in service continue to age.

Steffey said she was miffed that the mayor would bring up the fundraising issue, and that it was something confidential and to be discussed in executive session.

Some of the mayor’s statements were muffled due to technical issues. However, two words from Cmar to Steffey came out pretty clear.

Those words prompted Bucy to remind the elected leaders to be civil.

“I have no problem with people disagreeing,” Bucy said. “But I do have a problem with people using inappropriate language.”

Cmar did not apologize for the verbal exchange after the meeting. She reiterated the need to get Gill Hall responding to calls as soon as possible.

“I’m passionate about the fire company,” Cmar said. “We need fire protection right now. They want to have an audit and mediation, and that’s been going on for years and nothing’s been done about that. We can’t wait any longer.”

Bucy said funding the fire department would be discussed in an executive session Friday after interviewing candidates for a financial director position.

“I think that all members of council have agreed that we want Gill Hall opened,” she said. “I even think members of the other fire departments want to have Gill Hall open. We understand that. The method for getting them open and getting them functioning is our question.”

Jefferson 885 and Floreffe volunteer companies responded to all calls in Gill Hall’s absence. The two are in the process of becoming one, Jefferson Hills Fire Rescue.

Reynolds argued Steffey should not be permitted to vote on fire company-related matters because her uncles, Jay Girman and Don Withers, serve as Floreffe’s treasurer and chief, respectfully.

“That is 100 percent a conflict of interest,” he said.

Solicitor Deron Gabriel disagreed, saying Ielase does not have direct financial interest and the uncles are not immediate family members.

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