NEWTON GROVE — With time running out to come to an agreement on a fire contract, the town and its fire department remain far apart regarding funding.
During the Newton Grove Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Monday, representatives from the fire department made it clear that the amount proposed for the contract between the two did not align with what they were seeking.
A final decision on that funding and contract will be decided following a public hearing on the budget June 8.
The town has offered to increase the fire department funding from its current $46,000 to $65,000 each year for the next three years; however, firefighters are seeking more.
“If we’re gonna do a contract, if they’re set on a three-year contract, we’d like to see a 15 percent increase year to year,” Newton Grove Fire Chief Daniel Warwick told Newton Grove Mayor Craig Warren and the town board.
“So $65,000 the first year, increase that by 15 percent the second year (2027-28), which means $9,750, and would bring $74,750, and for the 2028-29 budget year would be an increase of $11,212, to put you at $85,962. There will be another tax reevaluation done that will take effect for the 2028-29 budget year. I’m not saying there’s gonna be an increase, like there was last reevaluation, but there should be an increase (for the budget year). That’s what my board has discussed they would agree to.”
Warren rejected the fire department’s proposal.
“Based on the figures, our budget will not stand that; we just can’t do that,” Warren responded. “… $65,000 per year for the next three years is what the board has agreed to. This is the first response we’ve had back from the Newton Grove Fire Department on their figures.”
Money remains the central issue between the two sides. Town officials say the $65,000 figure is the maximum the town can offer, noting it was already an increase from the original proposed amount of $46,000 per year. But, firefighters believe annual increases would help cover expenses, equipment and other operational needs.
Despite the impasse, both sides acknowledged there had been communication between them, with text messages displayed during the meeting between Newton Grove Fire Department Board of Directors member Michael Warren and the mayor.
At that point, Michael Warren interrupted discussion on the text messages, saying, “Craig and I sat in the fellowship hall vestibule at Saint Paul Church until almost 2 p.m. one Sunday afternoon after church,” recalled Michael Warren during the meeting. “If I’m not mistaken, it was the Sunday following that day that it (the proposed contract) was sent. We had an almost three-hour conversation. When we left that day, I made the statement to him that we would be willing to handle a one-year contract at $65,000, but that we needed to identify some other calculation other than just pulling out a random number. That was the last conversation that I had with Craig. Craig said, ‘I will take that back to the board.’ So has he taken it back to the board? Has he mentioned that? We discussed the fact that I even said, since Amanda (Baggett, town clerk) keeps continuing to say we can’t budget based on proposed numbers, I even said that’s fine. Let’s take the calculation one year in arrears, because you know exactly how much you took in last year. Did you tell them that, Craig?”
Mayor Warren explained the reasoning behind displaying the text messages and also responded to Michael Warren question.
“This (showing the text messages) was in response to show you that we do talk to one another,” the mayor said. “Michael, if you remember that day, you told me you were not speaking as a spokesperson for the fire department that day too.”
Michael Warren responded, saying the mayor told him he would take his recommendation back to the board.
“I’ve spoken to the board about everything that you saw that day,” the mayor rebutted. “This (the text messages) was just to prove that there has been conversation back and forth between people. I’m tired of people telling me that I don’t ever speak to anybody. I do not get phone calls from the public. I get people in town that talk to me and ask me why are we being pressured like we are with what we’re giving? That’s the bigger question I hear all the time.”
Michael Warren then questioned why the two sides had not met before the budget proposal was created.
“I asked a question that day, why couldn’t, before y’all came out with your budget, (you) sit down with the fire department board?” he asked the mayor. “That question wasn’t answered. You said we’re working on our budget.”
Mayor Warren replied, “We gave you that contract two months ago. We’ve not had a response back from the Newton Grove Fire Department.”
Michael Warren interjected, “So what does that tell you then?”
“That we did our part,” Mayor Warren responded. “We’ve waited for a response from you, and we have not had one. That’s what that does say.”
During public comment, residents Lela Beasley and Curtis Pierce shared their thoughts on the contract situation.
“I’m just gonna summarize a quote that came from our town attorney, Mr. Lew Starling, with our fire department contract, because I see it’s on the agenda,” Beasley said. “He said if both sides sit down with good faith, I believe this can be preserved. As of Friday, I don’t think anybody has talked to the fire department. The mayor did stress last month that he had visited several fire departments to see how they were running and how they were funded, but can’t communicate with our own fire department. It’s sad, and it’s not taking our legal advice. He’s our attorney; we’re paying him. At the last meeting, she said (Baggett), we’re in excess of $4,000 to $5,000 for attorney fees, negotiating legal matters with the fire department, when they haven’t even had a meeting. So how are we negotiating if we haven’t had a meeting? That’s my question. As a taxpayer, $4,000 to $5,000 in legal fees? I’m not mad at Mr. Lew. He’s doing his job, he’s advising. The board is not taking his advice.”
Pierce said he would support a one-year, $65,000 contract between the town and fire department if it meant his homeowner’s insurance would not increase.
“I encourage the mayor and the commissioners to sign a one-year contract with the fire department to avoid my homeowner’s insurance going up,” Pierce said.
Mayor Warren also addressed concerns regarding the possibility of increased insurance premiums. He referenced Baggett’s meeting with the N.C. Office of State Fire Marshal, where she met with Tony Bailey, division chief of governmental services.
“In that conversation, the Fire Marshal’s Office also stated there was nothing that the town of Newton Grove can do, or has done, that would ever cause your premiums to go up,” he told those in attendance. “We are under the county contract, not under a town contract. That being said, the contract that we gave the fire department for three years for $65,000 each year, that is just a monetary agreement. That is not a binding fire contract. The only fire contract is with the county. It will not make your homeowner’s insurance go up. If it does, it’ll be something that was not done by the local fire department. Not training, not equipment, whatever that might be that it takes. He said (Bailey) the town of Newton Grove has nothing to do with that.”