Fire services were a topic on the agenda this week at the Okeechobee City Council meeting.
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OKEECHOBEE — Fire services were a topic on the agenda this week at the Okeechobee City Council meeting. The city entered into an interlocal agreement with the county for fire services in December 2020, and it went into effect in August 2021. The agreement ends in October 2026.
City administrator Gary Ritter said they have been discussing the process for making amendments to the agreement. He would like to see an agreement stating that any changes must be in writing and signed by both parties. “We will need to have this agreement in place if by October 1, 2026, we want to get out of this contract,” he said.
Vice-mayor Monica Clark asked Ritter if they could see data from the fire department on the number of calls in the city and the reimbursement they receive from insurance. She said there are very few fires in the city, so most of the fire department budget is the fire department going to accidents. She is concerned with the cost the city is being charged for EMT services. She said there is supposed to be a 25% increase for commercial services next year. She added that the former chief told them he would need to hire six firefighters to cover the city, but they never added six firefighters.
Ritter agreed to ask for this information.
During the August 20 meeting, Andrew Treadwell of Indian River State College addressed the council with an update on the old boys’ school property. Last August, the land was deeded to the college by the state. They have been working on funding and will soon begin some demolition.