By Amy Nixon
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
BIG BEND, Wis. — Four thousand dollars could mean the difference between continuing the Fire Department and dissolving it.
The Big Bend-Vernon Fire Department budget process came to a halt Oct. 13, when the Village of Big Bend and the Town of Vernon boards could not agree on how to budget $4,000 for legal fees.
The Village of Big Bend board approved the budget with a $4,000 line item for legal fees ($2,000 each for the Fire Department and the Fire Board); however, the Town of Vernon board would not approve a budget with such a line item.
“This is what our attorneys had recommended,” said Big Bend Village President James Soneberg. “I don’t see a problem with having that money in there.”
“Legal is one thing our board has a real strong position on,” stated Vernon Chairman Fred Michalek.
Michalek expressed concern that the Fire Department and board be allowed tospend money on attorney fees without Town Board approval.
Soneberg suggested adding a stipulation that the Village and Town boards be contacted should some of that money be used. But Vernon supervisors argued that the line item was not necessary because the Fire Department and board could simply contact the village and town attorneys if they needed legal advice.
Fire Chief Phil Buchholtz countered that the municipal attorneys have stated human resources issues is not their area of expertise.
The boards discussed the issue for about two hours, making little progress.
“These legal fees can accumulate so quickly, I’m trying to think of a way to facilitate things and keep it under control,” said Michalek.
Fire Board President Carol Shea expressed her disappointment with how the situation was being dealt with.
“I have sat here for two hours and listened to you guys wrangle over $4,000,” she said. “We as a Fire Board are asking for a lousy $2,000 ?you don’t trust us to bring it back to the boards as we’re supposed to do.”
Big Bend Trustee David Craig made a motion to strike the legal fees from the budget, but his motion was not seconded by anyone on the Village Board.
The Town Board passed a motion to strike the legal fees from the budget after Craig’s failed.
The boards then adjourned.
In a followup interview, Soneberg said it was not the Fire Board’s practice to require department heads to get the Village and Town boards’ permission before talking to an attorney.
“We don’t make other department heads, such as the police chief, do that,” he said. “The Fire Board and fire chief need access to an attorney ? if something comes up that is beyond the scope of the village or town attorney.”
Shea explained in a followup interview that if the boards do not reach an agreement and pass the new budget by Dec. 15, they will revert to the 2009 budget.
“At that point, they could begin the dissolution of the department,” she said.
According to the governing ordinance, termination of the Fire Department will occur if the Village Board and the Town Board do not both adopt an identical budget by Dec. 15 in any year; however, such termination will not take effect until Dec. 31 of the following year, to provide the Fire Board with adequate time to wind up its affairs and provide fire protection in the interim.
“I prefer not to see the Fire Department broken up,” said Soneberg. “It has too much of a long history. I think they do an outstanding job of serving the residents of the community.”
At Thursday’s regular Town Board meeting, Michalek read a letter he wrote to the Big Bend Village Board.
“The inability to come to some compromise will have dire consequences for both communities in that (the) Big Bend Vernon-Fire Department will cease to exist,” he wrote. “It is truly unfortunate that the Big Bend-Vernon Fire Department will cease to exist because of our inability to resolve this budgetary imbalance.”
Copyright 2009 Journal Sentinel Inc.