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Letter: Steering in the right direction

I just wanted to thank Joe Enzer, Hank Van Berlo, Tom Flynn, Ray Sauvey, Joann Teeple, Jason Sewell, H.P. Hansen, Laura Van Dyne and Davis Farrar, the steering committee members for all of us in the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District. Thank you for your study, devotion, commitment and constituent-input-gathering process that led to several qualified recommendations to the district board.

A short steering committee history: Nine residents volunteered to help guide the two consultant groups so that the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District 10-year master-plan draft and ideas they developed would be pertinent and relevant to the district and the needs of its residents for fire, ambulance and rescue emergency services.

All nine members were selected and were moderated by board members Carl Smith and Mike Kennedy.



The steering committee had seven 2 1/2-hour meetings since March 30. They attended five board meetings and three public-forum meetings; reviewed and discussed more than 90 emails; read, discussed and commented on more than 350 pages of consultants’ draft documents; had numerous discussions “on the street” with curious and involved residents; came to a unanimous consensus that at least a 1-mill to 1.5-mill levy increase is warranted and a unanimous consensus that, at the earliest, a ballot issue be presented to the electorate in May and more preferably November 2016; and allowed time for the district board to digest, discuss in open public board meetings and solidify the draft documents into a master-plan document and strategic-plan document. Dissemination and explanation of the 10-year master plan and an in-depth budget to the residents of the fire district are paramount for a positive election outcome.

Jeff Wadley




Carbondale