UPDATE: Mayor and County Executive continue work on Salisbury fire service agreement

Salisbury Mayor, Jim” Ireton, Jr., and Wicomico County Executive, Bob Culver, are continuing to go back and forth, while hashing out a plan for a fire service agreement between the City of Salisbury, and Wicomico County.

On Wednesday, Mayor Ireton reportedly informed Culver that he was removing the so called “nuclear option” from negotiations, saying “I am taking the nuclear option off the table as there seems to be a good faith effort to work together.”

The removal followed a Tuesday meeting during which, Salisbury Fire Chief Richard Hoppes, Salisbury Assistant City Administrator Julia Glanz, County Executive Bob Culver, County Council President John Cannon, County Council Member John Hall, County Director of Administration Wayne Strausburg, County Attorney Ed Baker, Director of Emergency Services David Shipley, and President of County Fire Chief’s Association Tom Bowden attended, and reportedly said the meeting was productive.

On Friday via a letter, the Mayor wrote “I am writing to let you know that, at this point in time, I am removing the “nuclear option” of enforcing a mandate for fire trucks and ambulances to not leave city limits. I am, however,reserving the right to employ this option again, whether there is a date attached to it or not In addition, I would like to be supplied with a list of the next six meeting dates and a list of possible auditors that will be revising the supplied data. Memo Diriker has offered to have his BEACON group review the data and give us a non biased analysis.”

County Executive Culver replied to the letter, stating “I cannot in good conscious allow such a threat to public safety to stand. I am committed to continue earnest discussions with regard to a new Fire Service Agreement, howe’ er, I will not do so under a threat of cessation of services by the city’s Mayor.” The nuclear option stated by the Mayor, that starting July 1st, no fire trucks would be leaving the city.