Indiana Firefighters Can't Collect For Charities While On Job

Mayor says it violates state guidelines.

Oct. 29, 2008

3 min read

MUNCIE, Ind. --

Firefighters in Muncie won't be allowed to collect for local charities while they're at work anymore, a practice that the mayor said violates state guidelines.

Mayor Sharon McShurley handed down the rule change last week. She told 6News' Jennifer Carmack that collecting on the clock violates the accounting and uniform compliance guideline for personal property use, which states that assets of a governmental unit may not be used in a manner unrelated to its functions and purposes.

"This was something we needed to stop," she said. "We had not been written up on it yet, but that's not to say we wouldn't have been."

The mayor's ruling comes as the city and the firefighters union are in contract negotiations, a fact McShurley said was not related to her decision.

Still, union president Paul Sykes said that the firefighters who take two-hour shifts, six times a year collecting funds in front of the firehouse were doing their part in the community.

"Our job as public servants is to serve the public. What better way to serve the public then to collect money for charities that collect thousands and thousands for people in Muncie and Delaware County?" he said.

Officials at area charities also spoke out against the mayor's decision, calling it poor timing just before the holidays.

"You don't do this stuff in October and November when Christmas is coming up in a month. I mean, come on, it's Christmas," said Toys For Tots spokesman John Bultman, whose organizations usually receives more than $15,000 from the firefighters' collections.

The department also raised funds for Special Olympics of Delaware County -- which counted on the firefighters for 20 percent of its budget -- and the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation.

McShurley said that if firefighters wanted to continue their charity work, they could do so after work hours.

"If it's truly in the interest, this is something the firefighters and employees want to do, then they can do it on their own time and those charities won't be impacted," she said.

Members of the fire union encouraged people to contact McShurley about the ban and to donate to the charities previously served by the fire department.