MARCH 13, 2025|
Photo – Carbon County Fire Protection District logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
The town of Saratoga has threatened to pull out of the agreement with Carbon County Fire Protection District over payroll questions.
In November 2022, Carbon County residents voted to create a fire protection district to handle emergencies in unincorporated areas of the county. Previously, county fire services were included in the county’s annual budget.
With the creation of the Carbon County Fire Protection District, the county is no longer solely responsible for funding firefighting services. Instead, residents living in unincorporated areas of the county are assessed a 3-mill property tax levy to pay for out-of-town firefighting efforts.
The Carbon County Fire Protection District began responding to calls last July. However, the district is still finalizing contracts with participating municipalities to allow their equipment and firefighters to be used during county emergencies.
During the January 21st Saratoga town council meeting, Mayor Chuck Davis explained that he was under the impression the Fire Protection District would pay Saratoga’s volunteer firefighters when they responded to emergencies outside of town. However, Mayor Davis said he recently learned the Fire District is not required to keep track of what is owed to Saratoga’s firefighters, instead placing the burden on the town.
At the March 4th Saratoga town council meeting, District Fire Chief John Rutherford was present to address the governing body’s concerns.
Chief Rutherford said he was informed Saratoga was attempting to end its contract with the Fire Protection District. The District Chief said he supports volunteer firefighters and expected the town to do the same.
District Chief Rutherford admitted that providing payroll services is an inconvenience. However, the chief said the town has the flexibility to submit reimbursement requests to the district on its own schedule.
Chief Rutherford continued, saying that in the past, the county’s volunteer firefighters enjoyed being paid once a year, with many considering it a type of Christmas bonus.
Chief Rutherford said the Fire Protection District board does not want to allocate its limited resources to managing payroll. Instead, the District board has agreed to provide a five percent administrative fee for towns to oversee their own payroll duties.
Chief Rutherford said the State of Wyoming offers the same five percent administrative fee to have the Carbon County Fire Protection District handle payroll services, which brought in an additional $30,000 to the District in 2024.
The District Fire Chief said he doesn’t want the town to simply end its agreement with the District. Rutherford said a signed contract ensures both, the Fire District and the town of Saratoga, are protected from any incidents that may occur when the town is assisting with county emergencies.
Chief Rutherford explained the contract will ensure Saratoga and the Fire Protection District are shielded from liability.
Saratoga Mayor Chuck Davis said town hall staff have reported the five percent administrative fee will not cover the cost to perform payroll services for the Fire Protection District. Additionally, Mayor Davis said the town’s workers’ compensation provider has advised him not to take the District’s offer.
Mayor Davis said he attended a Fire Protection District meeting where the District’s attorney advised the board not to address the town’s concerns about the contract. The mayor asked how the two entities can come to an agreement in that type of environment.
Chief Rutherford said the District’s attorney was simply trying to keep the organization out of trouble. The District Chief offered to meet with Saratoga officials in an attempt to make the contract more appealing to the town.
Instead, Mayor Davis presented a letter, from Town Attorney Kylie Waldrip, ending the town’s involvement with the Fire Protection District. The mayor asked the council members if they would like to submit the letter or hold talks with the Fire District.
Councilman Mike Cooley suggested holding a meeting with the Fire Protection District, but said he will not agree to anything that increases the workload for town hall staff.
Councilman Cooley also said he wanted to consult the town’s volunteer firefighters about the contract before making a decision.
In the end, the Saratoga town council voted to hold a meeting between the governing body, the town’s volunteer firefighters, and the Fire Protection
District before ending the agreement.
