ROCK SPRINGS – Fire coverage within the Reliance Fire District will be ending following action by the Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1 Board of Directors.

The board voted to end its contract with the Reliance Fire District over unpaid bills and a lack of communication. A public notice was emailed to local media Thursday, advising Reliance residents of the decision. A PDF of that document can be found at the bottom of this article. Service to the area will end Jan. 19, 2025.

The board believes the Reliance Fire District doesn’t have a functioning board managing it, as it hasn’t received sustained communication from its elected board members and, as of the board’s meeting last week, didn’t have a board member bonded to act access its tax revenue held by the Sweetwater County Treasurer’s Office. On Friday, the treasurer’s office reported receiving a bond for RFD Board Member Brandon Morgensen, which allows him to access funds the office holds. As of Friday, the RFD had $34,927.26 being held by the treasurer’s office.

This isn’t the only payment dispute between the fire districts to have erupted. Fire Chief Scott Kitchner previously told SweetwaterNOW the RFD had gotten behind in its payments last year, making a lump-sum payment in March that covered the prior year’s debt. However, Fire Chief Scott Kitchner said the biggest issue Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1 faces with the RFD is the lack of communication from the RFS regarding its finances, saying he and the board were willing to work with the RFD, but they struggled to contact the board, with Kitchner saying he resorted to sending letters to the RFD board members’ homes. Board members were also informed of SCFD No.1’s board meeting, but did not show up.

“We bent over backwards for these people, and they don’t even show up to our meeting,” Kitchner said during the board meeting.

Because the contract is being dropped doesn’t mean the debt will be forgiven. Board Secretary Jerry Graebert said the taxpayers within SCFD No. 1 were paying for calls its firefighters responded to within the RFD, saying the situation wasn’t right. In total, the RFD area averages between four and six calls for service each month.

“I hate to leave them without any coverage … the board is not doing what it needs to do to pay its bills,” SCFD No. 1 Board Chairman Jeff Varley said.