Is your new 20-year fire department tax working for you?

Are you getting what this community deserves for a new 50-year fire department structure?

You be the judge. Now that the city commission has persuaded you and me that we will get a bigger and better fire department for the new 20-year tax, I believe that the commission is trying to make it smaller once again.

I believe that City Manager Jim Thomas, Mayor Geoff Covalt and Commissioner Kyle Mecklenburg don’t want to spend the money it takes to give this community the fire station Kingfisher deserves even after getting the tax extended.

On the other hand, the commission will continue to pour approximately $300,000 every year into the pool even though they gripe and bellyache about it all the time.

When I traveled with Mr. Thomas to Guymon to see their new station, the Guymon Fire Chief told us that the City Manager called him in one day and told him this would be his new station and showed him the blueprints.

The Chief asked if he had any say on the matter and the City Manager told him “no.”

Jim looked at me and said that he would never do that; his word is his bond.

While I was on our fire department committee, I continued to strive for a better fire station and I was told I would no longer be on the committee because I wasn’t a productive member. I was until I wasn’t.

I believe without a vocal member there, Mr. Thomas could build the HIS new station to fit his legacy.

Mr. Thomas has always said that he has never built a fire station in his approximately 35-year career, but this was his opportunity to build HIS legacy.

This tells me that it’s about him, not this community.

A suggestion was made to make our new fire station smaller and therefore cheaper by getting rid of the ambulance service.

By doing this, the city can get rid of the ambulances and the men it takes to run that service and therefore making the building smaller.

The city won’t need the ambulances, so the city can make the bays smaller and by not needing as many firefighters/EMT’s, the city can make the living quarters smaller.

This was offered up by Commissioner Mecklenburg.

Mayor Covalt has always pushed for a smaller fire station, even after the new tax was approved by the citizens.

I don’t know if the other commissioners are totally on board with these ideas, but I assume they are because they have voted lock step with the rest of the commission.

I hope I’m wrong. The sad thing is that in the last meeting before Mayor Roxie Alexander retired due to health issues, the commission voted 3-2 for a 20,000 square foot, $10 million fire station.

This is very close to where we are today. It’s very possible the new station would have been built and manned by now.

Why then have we not turned over ground? That would be because the two commissioners that voted against it were able to get the new city manager to halt it so that they could get more favorable seats on the commission to stop it and they did.

POLITICS!!! There is more. Part 1

Tony Stewart Retired Kingfisher Fire Chief