Audit on former BVFD complete Guzi told BOS
On the tail end of the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday Feb. 26, County Administrator Kathleen Guzi covered the financial picture of the former Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department. According to Supervisor Jack Leffel, Guzi covered the question many had been asking. “There has been an audit and it is complete. But due to the SCC involvement, too, the findings have not been released,” he said.
At the root of the question is what happened to the BVFD financially before Botetourt County Emergency Services took over the Department in November of 2012. Since then, the Town of Buchanan has been donated buildings by Botetourt County that belonged to the BVFD including many on the Carnival grounds. The Town of Buchanan will run the carnival which was a money maker in the past for the BVFD with funds being split between the county EMS and the Town for upkeep of the buildings and grounds.
Citizens across the county had expressed concern on the Botetourt View in comments online as to what happened to the BVFD’s finances that brought the county into the picture. “She told the board more information should be available in the March meeting,” Leffel noted.
February 28, 2013 - 12:24 PM
Was the Fire and Resue Steering Team (FARST) created by vote of the Board of Supervisors? Does any one know?
@Curious, yes FARST was created and is recognized by the Board of Supervisors. BCES has a page on it @ http://yourbces.org/department-info/farst/
MUST HAVE ..FARST is mentioned in the County Code several times.
A 11/01/12 Roanoke Times article was titled “Buchanan volunteer firefighters get new management :Botetourt County. The article quotes Bill Orde, “while the county takes care of the administrative side” and Carr Boyd, Director of Botetourt County ES said, “the county will assume managing the department after a winding down process of a few weeks” then added “the transition of the Buchanan VFD to county management will provide a laboratory.”
The Code of Botetourt County: Article VII Department of Emergency Services
Sec. 2-114 Responsibilities and authority of director emergency services
(f) The director shall not be authorized to direct the routine
administrative functions of volunteer organizations.
Sec. 2-115 Relating to the fire and rescue steering team (FARST)
……Nothing in this enactment shall limit, transfer or replace the
duties and authorities of FARST
Who eliminated FARST and why? Does the Code of Botetourt County mean anything?
@Confused Taxpayer, FARST hasn’t been eliminated, it just hasn’t been active. The true reason why it hasn’t been meeting still remains. I personally agree with Dean Paderick’s idea of adding two citizens to the committee (http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/2013/02/paderick-letter-claims-turmoil-from-lack-of-farst-in-botetourt-fire-and-ems/). Citizens are stakeholders in Fire & Rescue and maybe they could keep the rest accountable and civil.
If FARST has not been elliminated why were they not a part of the Buchanan Department’s re-structure. As Confused Taxpayer points out seem FARST is a requirement of the County Code. Curious??
@Confused Taxpayer I would hardly call myself qualified to interpret County Code. However, I’ll offer my opinion on your questions and statements posed.
First off, you didn’t post the entire statement of title (f) “The director shall not be authorized to direct the routine administrative functions of volunteer organizations. The director shall have no authority to manage the financial administration of any volunteer organization except as it relates to the expenditure and accounting of funds which are provided directly or otherwise administered by the county.”
In addition, Section 2-111 title (e) states “The department shall be organized into divisions at the discretion of the director of emergency services and with the approval of the county administrator or designee. (Res. No.12-01-20,1-24-12)”
Now remember I’m not the County Attorney, but if I had to tie they pieces together, I would argue that the Director can manage the administrative side of the department since Buchanan relies on County funding, however that is only to an extent, thus for the County to fully run the books, the incorporation needed to be removed (on paper). Thus, when the Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. was dissolved, it was reorganized as a “Division” of Emergency Services. See Troutville EMS (http://www.rescue2.org/). And as a Division of ES, it falls underneath the Director’s authority.
@Curious, I am not entirely sure of what FARST’s responsibilities is, however according to the section that Confused Taxpayer cut off, Sec. 2-115, (a) “FARST, or its successor, shall maintain its role with regard to overseeing policy development relating to the provision of emergency services. FARST, or its successor, shall continue to make recommendations to the county administrator and the board of supervisors. Nothing in this enactment shall limit, transfer, or replace the duties and authorities of FARST. (Res. No. 12-01-20, 1-24-12).” I am not sure if FARST should have been a part of a Department’s dissolution and reorganization, however I would personally like to think so. What do you think would have been done differently if FARST had a more active role in the Buchanan restructuring?
Sub-section (f) states: The director shall not be authorized to direct the routine administration functions of volunteer organizations. The Director of ES in news releases stated he will appointed a volunteer chief for Buchanan. Is that not directing the routine administrative functions? There has been no action by the Board of Supervisors with respect to the Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department. The only action taken has been by the Director of ES and the question does that position have such authority? The Director of ES in the code is obligated to keep FARST informed. FARST last met 8/15/12. Why is it grey and fuzzy and not open and transparent?