By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley Fire District (MVFD) took another small step last week in an ongoing effort to determine if it can operate as a completely stand-alone entity.
On Monday night, March 12, the MVFD board voted to hire an independent contractor to complete a comprehensive feasibility study on the district’s finances. The study is meant to look closely at the district’s revenues and expenses and make a recommendation on whether it could operate as an independent entity completely separate from Clark County.
The consultant being hired to do the study is Jonathan Politis of Synergism Associates, Ltd. in Latham, New York. The cost of the study was approved at $24,450.
Leading the effort at a possible separation has been Logandale resident David Clegg, Chief of Logandale Station 73. Clegg and other advocates of the change feel that having fire district decisions made locally would be more efficient, and more effective, than having them made in Las Vegas by Clark County Fire District personnel as they are now. Furthermore, he believes it would streamline the process of solving some of the district’s key problems with recruiting volunteers and providing emergency medical services (EMS).
“The people who established the fire district, way back in 1965, obviously thought that, at some point, there may have been a concern that people in Moapa Valley might not be getting everything that they need,” Clegg said in a November 2017 MVFD board meeting on this subject. “That is why they put the mechanism in place for us to strike out on our own if needed.”
Based on this discussion, MVFD Board member Judy Metz and others in the community called for caution about making such a major change to the district. They felt that clear data was needed, from an independent third party, showing that the separation would be feasible. AS a result, the board voted in November to do a search for an independent consultant to complete the study.
In Monday’s meeting, Clegg explained that he and other MVFD members had met Politis at a trade conference for firefighting entities. They had entered into a conversation with him and found that he specializes in small rural fire entities.
“As we spoke to him it was clear that he was speaking our language,” Clegg said. “He understood our situation and had expertise on exactly what we needed.”
A negotiation followed which resulted in Politis making a formal proposal to do the study for a total of $27,000. This arrangement was approved by the MVFD board in its January meeting.
But Clark County Fire Department staff rejected the proposal. They cited a county administrative rule which requires a full formal bid process on any contract services over $25,000. Because Politis’ proposal exceeded the limit by $3,000, it would have to be kicked into a formal bid process where three competing bids must be accepted and considered in order to award a contractor.
Clegg said that, after hearing this, he had called Politis again to explain the situation and inform him that he may have to prepare a formal competitive bid for the job.
At that point, Politis offered to simply lower his cost slightly to $24,450. “Then it will fall under the rule and save us all time and money,” Clegg said.
Shortly after that, Politis sent Clegg a new proposal that was very similar to the first. The main difference was that the dollar amount for the study had been reduced, Clegg said.
“This board has already approved it at the higher cost,” Clegg said. “But since there has been so much going on, we felt we should bring it all back again one more time for discussion.”
Metz expressed some reservation about the appearance of the negotiation process thus far. She said that she had felt somewhat unsettled with how the process had been done from the start. She was specifically concerned that only one person had been approached to complete the study.
“There feels like an ethical problem here,” Metz said. “I mean, as far as anyone knows, you have recruited this person yourselves. It just looks like he wants to do it for less so that it doesn’t go out to bid. And it makes me a bit uncomfortable.”
Clegg emphasized that he had not recruited Politis in any way. “Nobody knew him before,” Clegg said. “He was just pointed out to us at the conference and we realized that he knew his way around small, rural fire departments.”
Clegg wanted to make it clear that nothing unethical had been done in the situation.
“I want it on record that I have been involved in a lot of different boards and have never been accused of anything unethical,” he said. “But given this line of thinking, I will remove myself from this process and I will not vote on this item.”
Overton Station #74 Fire Chief Steve Neel said that he had done some additional research on independent feasibility studies from other consulting firms. He had found that the typical rate for such studies was in the $35,000 range.
“This quote is way under anything I found out there,” Neel said. “So even if we put it out to bid, I’m confident that there is not anyone else that is going to come in under this one.”
Metz clarified that she was not accusing Clegg of any unethical behavior. Rather she said she was just concerned about what might be perceived by the public. Under the circumstances, there was no reason why Clegg should abstain on the item, she said.
“As long as you all understand that there may be that appearance out there on this, then I guess I am good with it,” Metz told the board members.
Metz made a motion to accept the consulting proposal in the amount of $24,450. The motion was approved with a 3-0 vote. Clegg abstained from voting on the matter.
