The Turkey Creek Fire Territory Board heard updates on the Public Employee Retirement Fund and the Station I renovation during its recent monthly meeting.

Chief Mickey Scott reported to the board he is still seeking answers to the cost of a 77 fund – a retirement fund specifically for police and fire fighters – the cost of a PERF fund benefit to the fire territory employees along with the requirements of the employees.

Scott called all the fire departments in the area and found most of them provide either a 77 fund or PERF fund to their employees.

The department also has to know how many employees will elect to go into either fund and how many will not to provide accurate numbers to the Fire Territory board, Township Advisory Board and Syracuse Town Council. Scott told the fire territory board he believed some employees would want to remain with the current retirement plan, which is a 4 percent employer to employee match in deferred compensation.

It was noted the match for a civilian PERF would be 10.8 percent to 3 percent and for a 77 fund, 19.9 percent to 6 percent match. Another issue that came up for discussion was whether Social Security taxes are paid with a 77 fund or a PERF. Scott wasn’t sure and members of the fire territory board were unsure, believing there may have been some changes recently made by the state.

Board member Bill Dixon said he was stunned Tippecanoe Township was running a Civilian PERF. Board president Kim Cates wondered if the budget would have to be increased or less people allowed into the buy-in. Discussion ensured about offering a buy-in and how much it would cost.
“There’s a lot more to this than I can tell you here,” Scott said, suggesting a special meeting on just PERF may be needed.

Scott said he was attempting to get a PERF representative to come and talk to the board and answer its questions. Cates told the board they have been pushing since last August for information. Scott suggested going forward with a civilian PERF with no buy back.

Dixon said he wanted to talk to the Tippecanoe Township Trustee about how PERF works and what her experience has been with it. Cates said she would like some facts with the township’s numbers plugged in. Dixon offered to talk to the Tippecanoe Township Trustee and invite her to the April meeting.

“I’m more concerned about this than the fire station. You’re building a fire station once. You’ll have this on the budget till the end of time,” Dixon said.

Scott also reported the process of obtaining bids for the Station I renovation is ongoing. The Turkey Creek Township Trustee and Advisory Board are in the process of setting up a common wage hearing.

The township trustee and advisory board accepted a bid of $4,000 from DJ Construction for all the preliminary design services for the expansion it has provided up to this point. The board approved moving forward with obtaining architectural work in order to obtain bid specifications and plan drawings including plumbing and electrical design for the common wage hearing.

Brad Jackson, fire territory board member, stated he was not happy with the common wage hearing. He claimed it was unnecessary since the project was phase-able. It was explained the township attorney, David Cates, said the project was not phase-able since each individual phase relied on the previous one. Jackson asked about which entity would pay for the architect. Dixon said his sense was the township would absorb the cost to move the project forward.

It was also questioned what would happen if the township exceeded the funding cap set by the fire territory board. “We’ll either have to explain where the extra money is coming from or ask the fire territory for more money,” Dixon said. Jackson reminded the board, it promised not to provide any more funding for the project.

For a more in-depth account of the meeting, see this week’s issue of The Mail-Journal.