The Weddington Town Council held its monthly meeting last night. I presented the signatures from the petition (at that time 815 signatures). We’ve now reached 834 supporters and the number continues to grow. Providence VFD filed a formal complaint against the Town of Weddington on Thursday, May 28th for breach of contract. Providence VFD is asking for the penalty amount of $750K for canceling the contract WITHOUT cause, plus all legal fees. Our desire is to continue to serve Weddington and the surrounding area. Council representatives have repeatedly said that if the cost to change fire service was too high (i.e. that they would need to pay a $750K penalty) then they would reverse the decision. Up to this point they have not seen (or refused to acknowledge) the risk looming in front of them. During the meeting Mayor Deter added a motion to create a litigation committee comprised of himself and Councilwoman Barbara Harrison, to coordinate the response to legal actions between the Town attorney, Anthony Fox and Council. Mayor Deter then attempted to cut Councilwoman Pam Hadley out of their own closed session discussion on the lawsuit. Fortunately he thought better of this by the end of the meeting, but it appears that Councilwoman Hadley will have limited access to council discussions as litigation proceeds forward. Mayor Deter was adamant that Providence VFD is distorting the truth of the situation and risk to residents. He was very critical of recent flyers (see Post on Providence VFD website - www.ProvidenceVFD.com) which were distributed to residents, highlighting risks and encouraging them to show up to the Town Council meeting. Specifically, he mentioned the discrepancy between the asset number used on our balance sheet for apparatus and the $3M mentioned in the flyer. The difference comes from actual cost to replace said equipment versus depreciated expense showing on the books. To replace a piece of apparatus can be anywhere from $400-$1M depending on the type of apparatus and how “equipped” it is when purchased. Then there are hoses and tools which add to this cost. Deter said it is untrue that 47 firefighters will lose their jobs as a result of this decision. He said they can work for Wesley Chapel VFD if they would apply. Yes, they could work for Wesley Chapel VFD but first they will be losing their job at Providence VFD and then they will need to make the decision whether to go work somewhere and potentially be an outsider. It remains to be seen how welcome firefighters from Providence VFD will be at their stations. I would hope they would be welcomed, but the climate is unclear at this point and our Mayor has not encouraged an easy transition. Deter claims that the level of service WILL remain the same. This is impossible. Wesley Chapel VFD is an ISO 6-9E while Providence VFD is an ISO 4-9E. Wesley Chapel VFD operates manpower differently. If they say they will have 4 firefighters on duty, they do not mean “IN THE STATION”. At least 2 of those firefighters can be ANYWHERE in the fire district…increased to a 50 square mile radius with the addition of Weddington. That’s a heck of a lot different than 4 firefighters AT THE STATION ready to go on a moments notice. Plus, the Mayor will not have a say once the contract takes effect. Since WCVFD will be the ONLY fire department, they hold all the cards for level of service. The Mayor cannot guarantee anything moving forward. And what about the land and building which taxpayers in Weddington now own. Our Mayor has implied that he could donate this to WCVFD. He forgets that it was purchased so that the citizens would own an asset in payment for the expense of renovating the Providence VFD fire station so that firefighters could sleep there and provide 24/7/365 coverage. Could he really be considering GIVING away an asset owned by the people? One final note: The Town of Weddington says they are breaking the contract with Providence VFD because it placed too much of a strain on their operating expenses, however, last night they found $45K to add to the General Funds for additional legal expenses, they passed a budget which has $72K for street lights, $125K for legal expenses (separate from the $45K), and discussed adding left turn lanes to a road in Weddington at an expense of $150K each, plus willing to pay for guardrails along a road for an unknown expense. This does not sound like a Town strapped for finances. Litigation through the courts seems imminent and unavoidable. It’s a sad waste of taxpayer money and with a sad heart that Providence VFD enters this stage of defense. Thank you for your continued support. I will update you as this process unfolds. If you would like to donate to the legal fund for Providence VFD you can go to: www.ProvidenceVFD.com and click the “Donate/Support” tab. Best. Judy Johnston