City Council discusses charging for fire calls

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Is the projected revenue gained worth the effort to charge for fire calls?

That was the one of the key questions at the Charles City Council planning session held on Monday.

Charles City Fire Chief Eric Whipple, responding to a question by a council member at a previous meeting, discussed the possibility of charging $500 after his department responds to a fire at a location within the city limits.

“I’m up for anything. I don’t really have a recommendation one way or the other,” said Whipple. “It’s something to look at.”

The Floyd Volunteer Fire Department charges every time it responds to a fire call.

“They roll, they charge,” said council member Keith Starr.

“If they can’t collect it from the homeowner or from the car owner, whatever it is, they walk away from it,” Starr said, referring to walking away from the charge.

Asked whether there would be a $500 charge every time a truck rolls out, Whipple said he would have to determine how and when they could charge.

“We would have to spell that out. Would it have to be a structure fire or so much damage to a home or a structure?” Whipple asked. “It’s some revenue for the city.”

Whipple said that annual revenue as a result of the $500 charge would be an estimated $5,000–$7,000 based on a rough average of 12 house fires responded to in a year’s span.

Reaction from the council was mixed.

“It sounds like a lot of work for five to seven thousands dollars a year possible income — possible,” said council member Jerry Joerger.  

Council member Michael Hammond said homeowners might be reluctant to call the Fire Department for assistance at their residence if they knew they may be charged for that help.

Then the question arose if insurance providers would pay the fine and how to deal with homeowners that don’t carry fire insurance.

“Some insurance companies may not pay it. The question is do we pursue it further? I don’t know how far we would take it,” said Whipple.

Whipple made reference to the city of Waterloo recently voting against such a proposition to charge for fire calls.

“As far as Waterloo not passing this, I’m not at all unhappy with that. I would like to run with the leaders, not the dogs,” said Starr.

Hammond said he would like to hear more about towns of similar size to Charles City and if any of those communities have had any luck with charging for fire calls.

“I’d like to hear a lot more success stories,” said Hammond.

There was concern about potential backlash from community members who pay taxes and whether or not taxpayers would even have to pay for it.

“If you don’t have insurance, they should have to pay for it if you’re going to bill them. You don’t bill the insurance company, you’re billing the person who called the Fire Department,” said Mayor Dean Andrews.

Also at the meeting, there was a discussion about the structural status of property located at 201/203 North Main in town. The building is also known as the J.W. Smith Building or the Winterink Building.

The rubber roofing on the structure has peeled back and after heavy rains last year there were questions as to if the building had sustained even more damage. The property is privately owned and there has been some suggestion on whether the city should step in and address the issue. City officials toured the building in May 2018 after a period of heavy rain and noticed water damage, but nothing that seemed new.

There has been talk as to possibly hiring a structural engineer at the cost of around $8,000 to access the structural integrity. The building is on the National Registry for Historic Districts and is also on the “Iowa’s Endangered Building” list.  

Jeff Sisson, chairman of the Charles City Historical Preservation Committee, addressed the building being on the endangered building list.

“It’s not a writ of condemnation. It’s about awareness,” said Sisson. “It’s not about being negative. It’s about letting people know that we’ve got this gem on a corner in Charles City, Iowa, that’s got a lot of potential.”

A little over a month ago, nine different residences in Charles City attended an open forum to discuss issues related to heavy rainfall and the drainage issues that can come with that.

City Engineer John Fallis has reviewed those areas of concern and he gave an update as far as any potential action that may take place in terms of alleviating some of those water–drainage problems associated with those properties.

Fallis said some sites can be improved this year, such as in the 3000 block of Clark Street and 1801 Rolfing Street.

Three other sites — Comet Bowl, the Oliver and South Johnson Street area, and Beck Street/Allison Street — could be included in the budget for 2019 construction. Fallis said there needs to be more time to look into a couple other properties that were discussed at the forum to get a better understanding on the needed improvements.

Fallis also alerted the council that there will need to be no parking zones created on North Main Street for the crosswalk that will be built leading  to the Charles Theater. The current no parking zone on the west side of Main Street adjacent to the theater will be extended north by one parking stall. The area on the east side of Main between the driveway to the city owned parking lot and the driveway to the Eggert Erb and Mulcahy law firm will also lose a parking stall.

Whipple also talked about replacing the engine on a fire truck, which serves as a second tanker for his fire department. He said the engine encountered a cooling system maintenance failure and he recommends purchasing a remanufactured engine for a cost of over $27,000. The engine will be stripped down and built from scratch. Whipple said part of the truck is owned by the St. Charles Township and it could pay 30 percent of the cost.

City Administrator Steve Diers said there will be a Broadband Commission meeting this Friday at 2:45 p.m. and a workshop regarding the fiber to the home project will be scheduled for Monday, Sept. 10.