Commission approves contingency-fund payment for volunteer fire tanker repairs after public objection

The Monongalia County Commission on May 13 approved funding from the County Fire Protection Contingency Fund to the Mon County Volunteer Fire Association to cover emergency repairs to a 2011 Freightliner tanker.

Jason Todd, recording secretary for the Mon County Volunteer Fire Companies Association, told commissioners the contingency fund was not created to repair the county tanker and urged them not to use it for that purpose, saying the fund exists to assist volunteer departments that face financial hardship. “That is not what that contingency fund was created for,” Todd said during public comment.

Commissioners responded that the contingency fund was established to provide resources for extraordinary fire-protection needs and that the association had requested assistance for legitimate repairs. Speakers explained the tanker — while purchased by the county in the past — is titled to the association and is covered by their insurance, but the association had requested help covering repairs estimated to have escalated from earlier estimates near $10,000 to roughly $37,000. Commissioners cited state code language governing the fund and noted the contingency account has supported several prior extraordinary requests; a motion to approve the expenditure was approved by voice vote.

The transcript records the motion to approve funding from the contingency fund to cover the Mon County Volunteer Fire Association’s requested emergency repairs; the verbatim amount in the meeting record is noted on the agenda as approximately $37,006 (the record shows formatting ambiguity on the cents). Following the vote, commissioners indicated the contingency fund would retain a balance after the expenditure and that other levy funds are also available to volunteer fire departments.

The motion passed by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.