Shane M. Liebler / The Citizen

A pair of departments will take over Fire District 1 in the town of Cato and Meridian Fire isn't one of them.

Last week, the Cato Town Board chose the Cato and Jordan fire departments to take over the territory Jan. 1, 2008. The approvals came about two hours after the board took its third 3-2 vote against negotiating with Meridian at a meeting on Oct. 2.

A standing room-only crowd of Meridian supporters pleaded with the board to stick with the 104-year-old department at that meeting. Despite the outcry, Councilman Ronald Dennison said he stands by his decision.

"From a board perspective, this wasn't something that we just came up with in August," he said. "We would have much rather have had Meridian get their act together and turn it around so they could work with us."

The trouble began with negotiations for a 2007 contract, Dennison said. The board froze its payment at roughly $64,000 because the financial records they requested were insufficient -- a white sheet of paper with some numbers scribbled on it by Dennison's account.

"We gave them one more year," he said. "We told them next year we need better information."

In addition, the board requested inspection and testing records for equipment like hoses, pumps and air packs, none of which were submitted with the bid for a 2008 contract, Dennison said, adding membership figures were also incomplete.

For more, read Tuesday's Citizen