The Board of Supervisors of Westtown Township is hereby authorized
to enter into an Intermunicipal Fire Services Agreement (the "Agreement")
with Birmingham Township; East Bradford Township; Thornbury Township,
Chester County; West Goshen Township; and West Chester Borough in
accordance with the terms and conditions authorized by this article
and set forth in the Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto
as Exhibit "A" and is incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, the appropriate officers of Westtown Township
are hereby authorized to do whatever is necessary and appropriate
to carry out the provisions of the Agreement and this article, and
to comply with the purposes and intent of the Agreement and this article.
The Agreement is conditioned upon each Township's and Borough's
governing body enacting an ordinance which authorizes such municipalities
to execute the Agreement.
The term of the Agreement shall commence at 12:00 midnight on
January 1, 2019, and, unless earlier terminated by the Borough as
to a given Township pursuant to Section 2.C. of the Agreement, shall
terminate at 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2023.
The purposes and objectives of the Agreement are to authorize
the West Chester Borough Fire Department to provide fire protection
services to certain portions of each of the Townships and to establish
the respective municipality's share of the cost of such fire
services.
The fire protection services which will be provided by the West
Chester Borough Fire Department pursuant to the Agreement shall be
shared and paid for by the respective municipalities in accordance
with the payment terms specified in Section 2 of the Agreement.
Each municipality that enters the Agreement is governed by an
elected governing body who shall oversee the implementation and enforcement
of the Agreement. Moreover, West Chester Borough has established a
Police and Fire Committee which oversees the Fire Department's
operation. The Agreement contemplates that each Township shall appoint
not more than two delegates to serve on the Police and Fire Committee.
The West Chester Borough Fire Department or the constituent
fire companies that comprise the West Chester Borough Fire Department
shall own all real property and personal property used for the provision
of fire services pursuant to the Agreement.
The Borough and West Chester Fire Department are empowered to
enter into contracts for policies of group insurance and employee
benefits for any employees of the Fire Department.