The Lincoln Township Board of Trustees has voted to proceed with a study on the potential merger of the fire department with the Lake Township Fire Department. At a meeting this past week, the board approved a motion to spend $17,500 to have Plante Moran conduct an in-depth analysis. That’s half the study’s cost with Lake Township picking up the other half. Lincoln Township Supervisor Dick Stauffer told us Lake Township approached him about the idea of a merger, and he thinks it’s worth exploring.
“You don’t often get conversations like this, and I think our residents would expect us to explore it and see where it might go,” Stauffer said. “In addition to that, we need to look at our fire department from a five or ten year perspective, and this will do that.”
Stauffer says it’s possible that combining forces would better serve both townships, especially in these times of staff shortages. The Plante Moran study will look at both leaving things they way they are and merging. It will also consider how each township could improve fire services independently. If a merger were to occur, each township will still have its own fire stations. Stauffer says Plante Moran is a world class firm, and he’s interested in seeing what they come up with. The study will take 60 to 90 days.
