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Currently, Consolidated Fire District No. 2 and the City of Merriam Fire Department are in talks concerning the possible consolidation of the two fire departments. Below is the first report from the Exploratory Committee examining this issue.
Following a vote to continue talks at a Merriam City Council meeting, the District Governing Board also decided to pursue talks (see May 29, 2007 board minutes) for more information.
On July 17, 2007, the Governing Board voted to continue the consolidation process with the City of Merriam. The District will form a committee to explore the various issues, opportunities, possibilities, and questions involved in the operational aspect of a larger department. The committee will be comprised as follows:
1 Firefighter--Bruce Randall
1 Apparatus Operator--Mike Rex
1 Captain--Doug Gibson
1 Staff Member--Phil Hodgdon
2 Union Representatives--Mark Bremer and Jerry Pitchford.
On Monday, July 23, 2007, the Merriam City Council voted 8-0 to move the process forward. This means that the Consolidation Committee along with County Staff will begin the process of writing a Consolidation Resolution.
The resolution must meet with the approval of the legal staff all parties included--Johnson County, Consolidated Fire District No. 2, and the City of Merriam. The proposed resolution must then be approved at both the Merriam City Council and the Governing Board of the District before it is presented to the Board of County Commissioners. This is expected to occur sometime prior to September 1.
The County will publish the resolution each week for six weeks. It will then sit for a 60-day "cooling off" period. If, at any time, a valid protest petition is filed by 5% of the registered voters from both the City of Merriam and the District, the issue will be sent to a general election for approval. If a valid protest is not filed, the County Commissioners will hear the issue and approve or deny the resolution.
The Merriam City Council will be holding a work session to discuss the issue on August 6, 2007. Several concerns have been raised about the consolidation, and it is expected that those concerns will be addressed during the work session.
This page will be updated as more information becomes available.
