A new 28E agreement is set to take effect at the beginning of the next fiscal year for a volunteer fire department in Greene County to officially cover another community.

Rippey Mayor Dan Brubaker confirmed to Raccoon Valley Radio that the city council unanimously voted to approve the creation of a 28E agreement with the city of Grand Junction and its volunteer fire department at their regular meeting this past Monday. 

Grand Junction City Council member Paula Hoskinson says for years the Grand Junction Fire Department has responded to fire-related calls in the city of Rippey, but the issue was that the city was not paying for those services. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio a meeting with officials from both cities, as well as Washington Township Trustees – which is the township that includes the city of Rippey and who already has an agreement in place for the Grand Junction Fire Department to respond to fire calls in the rural portion of the township – and Greene County Sheriff and Jefferson Fire Chief Jack Williams met to discuss how the funding mechanism would work.

Williams says due to Iowa Code, there is a particular requirement of how fire departments are paid through rates whenever they respond to a call. Hoskinson adds that starting the next fiscal year on July 1st, it has been agreed that the city of Rippey will make one annual payment of $4,114 for the Grand Junction Fire Department to cover fire calls in Rippey. Brubaker adds that due to very low numbers for the Rippey Fire Department, and none of the volunteers work in town, it is difficult for them to respond to fire calls.   

Once the 28E agreement has been approved and signed by the cities of Rippey and Grand Junction, it will be effective starting July 1st, but in the meantime, Brubaker says the Grand Junction Fire Department will continue to answer fire calls until then.