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217 Main Street
PO Box 168 Molalla, OR 97038 Phone:
503.829.2301 |
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| Is MFD keeping up with the times? |
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| Opposition says levy not needed |
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Tom Bentley missed the deadline to officially oppose Ballot Measure 3-230 in the November election pamphlet, but that doesn't mean he isn't opposed to it.
As a member of the Molalla Fire Board, he is in the minority. He cast the lone no vote against four yes votes when the decision to put the measure on the ballot.
But in the 2004 General Election, 3,590 fire district residents agreed with him, defeating a then proposed five-year levy by a 53-47 percent margin.
Bentley believes people will see it that way again this year.
"I simply think we should live within the funds that we've been given and do our very best," he said "… I think the culture of government and fire departments has a different demand on level of service or expectations. I am very proud of our fire department. I think it does 90 percent of good as a job as anybody for 40 percent of the money. Those are my numbers. I've been using those numbers for years. I couldn't prove those numbers to you, but I think that is a reasonably, accurate statement, and I think that is exactly what the public wants."
Bentley said the issues raised by the levy could be handled differently rather than throwing money at them.
In regards to more staffing, "it might give us 1 or 2 percent better service, maybe," he said. "… It would be marginally better service for a lot more money and leaning more toward what other fire departments do.
"If we had 10 paramedics and 10 firefighters here 24 hours a day, we could respond to things better than any other fire department in the world, and fewer people would die, but I don't think any of us are willing to pay that," he added. "It's just what are you willing to pay. Going back to what I said before, I think people like to pay for 40 percent as much money as 90 percent of the job. … If we just focus on that instead of what we don't have, we would have more time and more energy to deal with the problems that we have."
Bentley pointed out that ambulances don't have to be paid for up front.
"If we have to replace an ambulance, we can do it with a flex-lease which spreads payments out," he said. "I know that doesn't pay for it, but we've done that in the past successfully."
He disagreed with the argument that it will take more than a year to purchase an ambulance.
"What they're saying is true in the culture of the fire department, but I don't think it is true in the real world," he said.
Bentley does agree that the MFD needs a new water tender but disagrees on how it should be purchased, again pointing to the flex-lease as an option.
"I do think we need to replace a water tender," he said. "I think we have one that is not functioning in the best way for our department. I think there are some creative ways to look at buying it like how a for-profit business would make it happen."
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