San Pierre firefighters and local residents are weighing their options, when it comes to the future of the San Pierre Volunteer Fire Department. Railroad Township Trustee Mandy Thomason announced plans last week not to renew the township’s contract with the San Pierre Volunteer Fire Department at the end of the year. In its place, the township would establish its own fire department, which it would operate directly.
On Tuesday, local attorney Cassandra Hine met with fire department volunteers and other local residents to discuss the situation. She said that after reviewing state statute, she does not see how Thomason can legally make a decision unilaterally. “It’s in the statutes that anything that she decides to do with fire protection has to be approved by the township board, before it happens,” Hine said.
The Railroad Township Board rejected a contract renewal with the fire department back in October. Firefighters said Tuesday they were not given a chance to vote on the contract before it went to the township board. Following the board’s rejection, fire department officials were expected to meet with Thomason for further negotiations, but they say she failed to set up the meeting.
Thomason has been requesting additional financial documentation from the fire department since taking office in 2015. However, fire department volunteers have questioned her authority for doing so, noting the San Pierre Volunteer Fire Department is a legally-separate nonprofit entity.
Residents also expressed concern Tuesday about how the township would be able to organize what would essentially be a new fire department in a matter of days, without impacting the area’s fire protection. Thomason has said that Railroad Township already owns all the department’s equipment, but firefighters say the situation is a bit more complicated. For example, the radios used by firefighters are owned by the township, but the license to operate them is owned by the fire department itself.
On top of that, Kankakee Township in Jasper County has its own separate contract with the San Pierre Volunteer Fire Department. A Kankakee Township official who attended Tuesday’s meeting said that two of the department’s trucks are actually owned by that township.
Meanwhile, Hine said the best opportunity to resolve the issue will come during a special meeting of the Railroad Township Board this evening. She suggested that board members pass a resolution specifying what type of fire protection contract they would accept.
Should Thomason still proceed with her plan after that, Hine said it may be time to consider legal action. “We could file something with the circuit court asking for an injunction to stop her,” Hine said. “That’s kind of the last resort. But because the statutes on this are so clear, I don’t know how a court could find otherwise.”
The Railroad Township Board plans to meet in special session tonight at 6:00 at the San Pierre Fire Station.
