By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Juab County has re-obligated the Title III funds they receive to fire mitigation.
"Mike (Seely, county administrator,) and I have been talking," said Brett Ostler, county fire warden. "We would like to hire the fire district to work as a contractor to do the work."
Last meeting, Ostler discussed some of the possible ways the money received could be put to good use.
Seely works with the county fire district and told commissioners that the money must be used according to restrictions placed by the federal government.
"Sanpete has hired some of their fire fighters to do these fire mitigation projects," said Ostler. "It is also possible to hire contractors."
Chad Winn, commission chairman, earlier had said that Ostler should be the ramrod. In light of that direction, Ostler had been looking into ways that the funds could be used to assist the county with the projects needed to mitigate wildland fire hazards in order to protect county residents and private property.
The authorized uses in the reauthorized Secure Rural Schools Act have not changed compared to the 2008 Act (Public Law 110-343).
Since October 2008, section 302(a) has provided that a participating county shall use Title III county funds only: To carry out activities under the Firewise Communities program to provide to homeowners in fire-sensitive ecosystems education on, and assistance with implementing, techniques in home siting, home construction and home landscaping that can increase the protection of people and property from wildfires.
The funds can also be used to reimburse the participating county for search and rescue and other emergency services, including firefighting, that are performed on national forests 45 days after the date on which the use was published as required by the Act.
Funds can be used to develop community wildfire protection plans in coordination with the Forest Service acting on behalf of the Secretary of Agriculture.
"Will this add another layer of administration?" asked Rick Carlton, commissioner.
It would not, said Seely. Those contracted would bill the county. All costs, including administrative ones, would be built into the billing.
Ostler said that he and Seely, after deliberation, thought that this approach would be the "best and cleanest way" for the county to handle the funds and to get the work done.
Seely said that the wildlands fire and EMTs would keep track of the hours each of the personnel would put in and would make certain that they were under the 30 hour limit.
"We do not want those hours to exceed the health care requirement under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)," said Carlton.
PPACA, commonly called the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or "Obamacare," is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.
Seely said that there would be no problem with PPACA requirements as long as each individual participating in the program kept their hours under 30.
"They will all know that they need to keep track of hours and stay under the 30 hour restriction," said Ostler.
"This will all come under Title III funds and those are the funds we would need to send back if we did not use them," said Chad Winn, commission chairman.
It was agreed, said Byron Woodland, commissioner, that the money was to be used as Ostler and Seely thought it would work best.
The fuel's crews will operate under the Juab County Fire District.
"It is agreed that we will hire the fire district to work as a contractor to do the work in order to use the Title III funds in our county," said Carlton.
