By DAVE SCHULTZ
A number of items were delayed for further action during Tuesday afternoon’s meeting of the Bluffton Board of Public Works and Safety.
One of those items was a proposal to replace a little-used (and mostly unknown) insurance policy for firefighters — full-time, part-time, and paid on-call.
The city has had a policy to protect firefighters’ income if they are injured on the job. It has rarely been used or updated for several years, and Fire Chief Don Craig brought a proposal to the Board of Works recently suggesting some changes.
The change has brought some questions from the Board of Works, particularly from board member Roger Thornton. He wants to support firefighters, but wondered if upgrading their insurance coverage was fair to other city employees.
Emily Schmucker of Capstone Insurance said the goal of insurance is to “make someone whole,” and the coverage is needed especially since, she said, “police and firefighters put their lives on the line in a more strenuous position.” The fact that the city has paid-on call firefighters means those individuals are putting their full-time jobs and bread-winning ability at stake when they answer a fire call.
No action was taken as Clerk-Treasurer Tami Runyon will look into the city’s employment handbook for procedures involving firefighters. The issue will be taken up again in two weeks.
During the board meeting, bids were opened for the city’s sidewalk projects in 2022. The bids came from Key Concrete in Fort Wayne, KBL Transport in Portand, and Case Construction of Edinburgh, Ind. The bids were tabled for review by Street Commissioner Tim Simpson.
Other items tabled included a discussion of city standards and city cybersecurity.
daves@news-banner.com
