The Town Council showed support for a suggestion to request Phil Mitchell’s resignation as Garner's Fire Chief May 25.

The call for Mitchell's resignation was followed by a request for the Fire-Rescue Board of Directors to be restructured.

If the Board of Directors chooses not to ask Mitchell to resign, Councilmen Gra Singleton and Buck Kennedy said the Town of Garner may try it's hand at fire service.

The Council also plans to eliminate funding for Mitchell's position.

However, Councilman Jackie Johns said he believes the request came too fast. Mitchell deserves time to right the wrongs of the alleged embezzlement by the Fire-Rescue bookkeeper earlier this year.

Funds for Garner’s Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department will also take a big hit. Originally, Town Manager Hardin Watkins suggested the Department receive $1,583,100 in funds from the upcoming budget. The Fire Department requested $1,685,888 during a May 13 budget work session.

Then, after meeting with Garner’s Town Financial Director, Lin Jones, to determine a line-item budget, Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Poole requested $1,764,789. That amount would include the Town’s 54.7 percent portion of the cost share with Wake County and funds for the new Station 4, which is set to open in November. However, the GVFRD Board of Directors had not approved the more than $1.7 million request before the Council meeting.

Poole returned to the Council May 25 with a slimmer operating budget number. He managed to cut back $48,000 from operations and gave the Council a new request of $1,716789.

Poole said he felt the request was reasonable because Garner has the highest number of emergency response calls in the county, followed by Fuquay-Varina Fire Department, which services nearly 1,300 fewer calls. With all of the emergency responses, Garner still falls within or below the standard deviation of funds for operations.

While the numbers were more accurate and the Council appreciated Poole’s efforts, Kennedy said the number was still outside of the Town’s means.

The Council agreed they would suggest $1.26 million of the 2010-2011 budget be appropriated for the GVFRD to be paid out on a monthly basis. The difference of $323,100 between the appropriated funds and the Town Manager’s original suggestion would be put into reserves and earmarked for Fire-Rescue. The GVFRD would not receive any of the money from reserves without a written justification to the Town Council first.