Jackson County Fire District 5 board members held a pair of meetings this week to move the embattled district toward more solid ground.

A work session Tuesday was convened between fire district and city of Phoenix officials to iron out details of a lease agreement for a public safety building constructed in downtown Phoenix. The facility, built to replace a firehouse destroyed by the 2020 Almeda Fire, was originally expected to cost just over $16 million, but final costs came in at more than $19.8 million.

Despite early discussion of a planned $1-per-year lease for District 5, board members learned in more recent months that negotiations were made under former District 5 Fire Chief Charles Hanley to cover up to $3.5 million in project overages.

Hanley was placed on administrative leave May 9, amid complaints of personnel issues and a union loss of confidence and terminated Aug. 6. A mostly new board of directors has been working since May to address everything from budget shortfalls and union complaints to possible criminal allegations against former employees.

By early calculations, board member Greg Costanzo said the district faced annual lease payments of more than $100,000 for the public safety building, called the Phoenix Government and Public Safety Center. With uncertainty on the lease amount, board members had delayed occupancy. City of Phoenix officials reported Tuesday that the final shortfall had come closer to $2.5 million, calling for lease payments of just under $72,000 per year.

Following the work session, District 5 board members convened later Tuesday and voted to move forward with occupancy of the facility with an initial lease payment due Jan. 1, 2026. Board members voted 4-1 with board member Derek Volkart casting the lone “no” vote, noting concerns pertaining to contract legalities and final calculations. Volkart told fellow board members he would “certainly feel better if it were a little tighter on the legal front.”

Board member John Karns said it was “vitally important” to staff the Phoenix station, noting, “Even if we aren’t maybe 100% comfortable with payment … knowing the value of response times, it’s just important for this district to get in down there and have a presence.”

Fire District 3 pact; Neil Creek Station No. 4 concerns

Aside from lease agreement details and occupancy of the Phoenix public safety building by district firefighters, Tuesday’s board meeting also brought movement on an intergovernmental agreement with Jackson County Fire District 3, and nearly a dozen citizens attended the meeting and said they were upset by browning out the district’s Neil Creek Station No. 4.

The meeting hall at Fire District 5’s Station No. 5 along Highway 99 was standing room-only, with a portion of the more than 80 audience members spilling into an adjacent hallway.

Longtime resident Bryan Baumgartner attended with his mother, Pearl Baumgartner, and was one of nearly a dozen people who spoke in opposition to the station being left vacant. He told board members he knocked on doors of Neil Creek neighbors and determined that most were unaware that the station had not been consistently staffed since early August.

Baumgartner, who recently retired from a fire service career started at District 5, said it was a “complete shock” that the station had been browned out.

“The region is still in fire season, and it is a high fire danger level. It is inappropriate in my opinion not to be staffing this fire station and is a decision that comes with high risk,” he told the board.

He voiced concerns, too, for Colestin residents, who voted to disband their fire district last year with plans of being brought into District 5. Response to that area, he noted, is “45 minutes to an hour, on a good day, without weather.”

Lack of staffing at Station No. 4, he said, had created “a response equity issue to District 5 patrons” on the south end of the district.

“The response time and capability that the community received for approximately 50 years is no longer being provided on a daily basis. Your staffing and response model changes have created an extreme inequity,” Baumgartner said.

“All former boards and administrations have maintained staffing at that station until this board and interim administration were implemented. … With no public notice or community outreach, what do we have on the notice on the front door? It says, ‘Personnel are out of quarters, please call 911 for emergencies’… This action does not match Fire District 5’s motto, ‘We still make house calls.’”

After nearly a dozen audience members voiced concerns, Costanzo urged them to be patient, noting “positive plans” were coming soon.

“There is not a minute that goes by that this board does not think about what you are saying. I spent 24 years as the south trooper of this county, and do you know who my backup was? Fire District 5,” he said.

“When I hear people say that it was a complete shock to them that this all was happening … it was to me, too, until May.”

Costanzo apologized to those with concerns and said the board was “putting every minute into fixing this problem.”

“It’s not an argument of not wanting to provide service. There is no money to pay for people to be there,” he said.

Near the end of the meeting, board members reviewed and approved plans to turn over administrative control of the district to Jackson County Fire District 3 on Jan. 1, 2025, through an intergovernmental agreement.

The plan, which will cost $15,000 per month, will bring substantial cost savings to the district and, district officials said, free up resources for firefighters and personnel. District 3 Fire Chief Mike Hussey will serve as chief for both districts. With District 5 board approval — which was unanimous — District 3 will review the terms of the agreement at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17.

Hussey offered the board some encouragement, “Thank you for putting your trust in us,” he said.

“I think the future is bright.”

Interim District 5 Chief Aaron Bustard breathed a sigh of relief following the meeting.

“I’m appreciative of the willingness of Fire District 3 to offer us assistance in what has been a very trying time for our fire district,” Bustard said.

“They have provided us with hope that our district can move forward to be stronger and have stability from this point forward. This partnership will serve to make us more effective and efficient to the citizens of the district.”