Wicomico County and Salisbury officials meet over fire service agreement

The Salisbury, Wicomico County fire service agreement saga continued Tuesday. Officials from both sides met for the first time in person to try and hammer out a deal.

Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton says they all agree that there needs to be a fair and equitable agreement.

A release from County Executive Bob Culver’s office outlines two immediate options, depending on the Mayor’s actions on a so-called nuclear option, preventing city fire and EMS from serving the rest of the county. We do know the Mayor can not stop services on his own, it would take city council approval.

If the city does pull the services, Culver says the County will pull all funding for the city and redistribute it to the four companies that would take over. Those being Delmar, Hebron, Parsonsburg, and Fruitland. If the city does not pull the resources, services and taxes will continue as they are now.

Culver says the County needs to know the City’s intentions by Friday to have time to plan for those services.

Mayor Ireton tells 47 ABC this is the first he is hearing of this deadline.

While he would not say if the City would respond by Friday he did release this statement saying, “If the county executive can begin preparing for those ten weeks, then he should use that prep time, whether that option comes up or not, to figure out a new fire agreement.”

The mayor did say he is excited for the progress made today. The County Executive says another meeting is planned in two weeks.