The Hamlet Town Council members voted Wednesday night in favor of forming the Hamlet-Davis Township Fire Protection Territory. The Davis Township Advisory Board members voted in favor of the formation of the Territory in a meeting Tuesday night, so the Territory will move forward.
Council member Brian Earnest made the motion with a second from member Connie Bailey to approve an ordinance that officially creates the territory. Town Council President Dave Kesvormas abstained from the vote due to his affiliation with the Hamlet-Davis Township Fire Department. The ordinance passed with a majority vote.
The Town of Hamlet will be the provider unit for budgetary purposes. The ordinance also includes the creation of a Fire Territory Operating Fund which will pertain to all expenses for operations and maintenance in the Territory’s budget that will cover repairs, fees, salaries, depreciation items, fees, rent, supplies, contingencies, and any other expenses lawfully incurred with the Territory.
A uniform tax rate of .1579 was adopted as part of the ordinance for the Town of Hamlet and Davis Township which means a 3 percent property tax increase for Hamlet residents and an increase of 6.2 percent for Davis Township residents.
Another ordinance connected with the formation of the Fire Protection Territory created the Equipment Replacement Fund.
Any fund in the current budget for the Town of Hamlet that deals with fire department funds will be transferred to the Equipment Replacement Fund, upon the approval of the Department of Local Government Finance.
Once the approval is given by the state, a Fire Protection Territory board will be formed with at least one Hamlet Town Council member on the board. The board will oversee all matters with any financial matters to be approved by the Hamlet Town Council.
