By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                Bronson Fire Chief Dennis Russell was questioned Monday by Mayor Robert Partin about missed fire calls by the department, but the issue no one was talking about was Russell’s amputated foot.

            Russell showed up for the first time in about a month after being placed on administrative leave for unspecified reasons. The town confirmed the foot had been amputated for medical reasons.

            Partin was asked later if he thought Russell could function as a fire chief without a right foot. Partin said he wasn’t prepared to answer any questions in that regard.

            “All we’re doing is watching and asking questions and I’ll have to leave it there,” Partin said.

            Russell’s absence on administrative leave was something of a mystery for at least a month. City officials were unwilling to discuss why the longtime fire chief had been placed on leave.

            On Monday, Russell was wearing what appeared to be a medical wrap on his lower right leg when he walked to the podium on crutches to speak to the council about fire-related issues and community events.

            Russell discussed the city’s Trunk or Treat event scheduled for Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m. at James H. Cobb Park. When the discussion ended, Partin raised the issue of missed calls.

            “I got a question for you. I’ve gotten a phone call or two concerning missed calls,” Partin said.

            He wanted Russell to explain why fire calls were being missed.

            “I’ll have to look tomorrow. We haven’t missed any in the last few days,” Russell responded.

            “I know your medical situation,” Partin responded. “I understand that. I got a job to do here. I need to know that (about missed calls) as soon as possible. I need to know what we’re going to do to fix it.”

            Russell told Partin the two of them needed to sit down and talk.

            Councilwoman Sherrie Schuler asked if Partin could explain who had been missing the fire calls.

            “I cannot. I don’t want to speculate on anything. The only thing I know is I got the call. My job requires me to check into that for public safety,” Partin responded.

            When Russell first had problems with his foot, Town Manager Susan Beaudet placed him on desk duty until the foot healed. Russell objected but Beaudet overruled him.

            Russell, who has been the fire chief for many years, said at the time he had been bitten by a spider on a camping trip and the wound was slow to heal.

            Cash In Lieu of Vacation

            On an unrelated subject, the council voted unanimously to give four employees a payout for vacation time they never took. The town’s code of ordinances allows up to 80 hours of vacation time to be claimed in any given year. Employees receiving the payouts were:

            Beaudet 281.12 hours of accumulated vacation time – 80 hours of pay

            Public Works Director Curtis Stacy 296.75 hours of accumulated vacation time – 80 hours of pay

            Public Works employee Russell Mitchem 254.75 hours of accumulated vacation time – 80 hours of pay

            Deputy Town Clerk Wendy Maragh 92.75 hours of accumulated vacation time – 40 hours of pay

            The employees will retain their unused vacation time. In a small town, it’s sometimes extremely difficult for department heads to leave their post for vacation.

            GFL Contract Approved

            Council members unanimously approved a five-year extension of the GFL garbage hauling contract.

            As it stands now, the city’s residential garbage rates will remain at $10.92 per month.

            However, the company is raising the amount it charges the town from $7 per customer to $9.93.

            The council hasn’t decided whether to raise customer rates in response to the higher charges it is paying the company.

            Skip McCall, a GFL spokesman, said the company considered the council’s request to be reimbursed for problems like garbage trucks missing curbside garbage pickup but rejected the request.

            McCall said the company normally factors in penalties and fines during the bid process and sets aside enough money internally to cover those costs. The council had requested contractual concessions similar to what Williston received from GFL. The City of Williston is reimbursed for things like missed garbage pickup.

            McCall said the company would find a way to navigate through those problems in Bronson when the issues are the fault of the company.

            “Our position in the past was give credit back. We owe it. We screwed up. We make it up,” he said. “We’re also giving credit to commercial businesses if there’s a mess there. I think there’s a way we can navigate around these issues.”

            Beaudet said she was establishing a spreadsheet to track problems with the company’s garbage pickup services and provide proof of what is happening.

            Rising Insurance Rates

            Lindsey Johannesen of the Florida League of Cities insurance division said Bronson’s overall insurance rates would rise by 44 percent in the new fiscal year.

            She said reinsurance is driving up rates around the state, along with catastrophic weather events like Hurricane Ian last year. She agreed to sit down with Beaudet to figure out ways to reduce the town’s insurance rates.

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Town of Bronson Regular Meeting August 21, 2023; Posted August 21, 32023