Brockton has denied a request from West Grey to extend the current Elmwood fire service agreement for one more year.
60 days is all Brockton is willing to give West Grey.
Brockton Mayor David Inglis says this issue has been dragged out long enough and it’s time to deal with it.
West Grey sent Brockton a letter a year ago regarding their intent to pull out of the joint municipal fire agreement as of the end of this year.
Inglis claims it was West Grey that initiated the process.
But West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles sees the situation quite differently.
He claims it was the previous Brockton Council who asked West Grey to initiate the disbandment process due to pressure from the Fire Marshall’s office.
The Fire Marshall wants to get rid of joint municipal fire boards.
Eccles says the buying out of West Greys assets has been a major stumbling block for Brockton — and he says that is one of the reasons for the delay.
Both Mayor’s agree that finding a suitable date to negotiate was problematic for both sides.
West Grey now has until March 1st to hammer out a new agreement with Brockton, in which case the joint municipal fire board will dissolve.
Brockton will become the sole owner of the Elmwood Fire Department and West Grey will contract services from Brockton.
Eccles adds West Grey is still open to the idea of remaining a joint board — a partnership that has been in place for over half a century.
