Rehoboth commissioners waive RBVFC funding conditions

Following a waiver request during a Dec. 20 meeting, the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company will not have to meet conditions set by city commissioners to receive what remains of the city’s annual contribution to the organization. Commissioners also waived a requirement for the fire company to submit donation requests by Dec. 1 for the 2025 fiscal year budget, which will take effect April 1.

In response to concerns about how the city’s charitable donations are being issued and then spent, Rehoboth commissioners created a policy regarding grant requests in August 2023. That policy was implemented a few months later for the city’s current fiscal year, which began April 1, 2024. The grant application has organizations prove their worthiness by, among other things, providing details about the organization’s operational policies; explaining why the grant is needed and how it will benefit the community; and providing a list of measurables with a timetable for completion.

In addition to the fire company’s $200,000, the city provided the Rehoboth Beach Museum, Rehoboth Beach Public Library and Rehoboth Beach Main Street with some level of funding.

One of the conditions for the RBVFC was that within 60 days after the first $100,000 was given, a plan for a steady stream of revenue from city property owners would have to be in place to receive the next $50,000. That plan would then have to be implemented before receiving the last $50,000.

Back in July, RBVFC President Mike Simpler and RBVFC Vice President Warren Jones updated commissioners on the plan’s progress. They said they weren’t going to have the plan ready for the 60-day deadline because the fire company’s call volume had exploded this year, and they hadn’t had the time. They also asked commissioners to create a task force to generate ideas on how to move the plan forward.

Simpler and Jones were back before city commissioners Dec. 20.

Jones said the revenue plan for the city wasn’t completed because city staff didn’t provide them with enough information on business owners, and they didn’t think it was prudent to implement a plan while details were still unknown on how state-level legislation passed last year will affect budgets.

Jones was talking about House Bill 127, which gives each of the state’s three counties the ability to create a fire protection fee to help address growing funding issues for the state’s volunteer fire companies.

Simpler made the request for the waiver on submitting paperwork for the FY 2025 grant request. He also said the fire company hadn’t heard any update from the city about the task force creation since it was brought up months ago.

Commissioner Patrick Gossett, one of those who strongly supported the creation of the new grant process, said he didn’t have a problem with the waiver requests. However, he said, it should be pointed out that the other organizations were able to meet their conditions.

Gossett said he recognized the service provided by the fire company is unique, but in the past, the fire company would come with specific uses for how the requested money was going to be spent. The commissioners don’t see that anymore, he said.

Simpler said the downtown station needs roughly $3 million in renovations to make ADA improvements and to add sleeping quarters for the volunteer firefighters.

Commissioners Suzanne Goode and Mark Saunders said they were in favor of the waiver requests.

The fire company is an essential service just like police, said Goode.

As usual, whenever fire department officials approach Rehoboth commissioners to talk about donations, the discussion turns to donations being made by surrounding communities – Henlopen Acres and North Shores – and whether or not Rehoboth is subsidizing those communities.

Goode urged Simpler to exert more pressure for donations from those communities.

Simpler said Henlopen Acres, with its fee of $50 per property and large donations, does a pretty good job. However, he said North Shores has always been an area the department doesn’t get much from.

“A perfect example is that President Biden has never given us a dime. I hate to say it that way, but it’s the truth,” said Simpler.

Following the vote in favor of the waivers, Mayor Stan Mills said he would be looking into the task force creation issue soon.