LAURA TARANTELLA/THE EXPRESS Goodwill Hose Company is pictured.

FLEMINGTON– The financial future of the Goodwill Hose Volunteer Fire Company dominated discussion at Flemington Borough Council’s first May meeting, as several borough officials warned the volunteer organization is facing a growing fiscal crisis that could threaten the borough’s fire protection if changes are not made quickly.

During a lengthy discussion, council members and fire company representatives revealed the fire company is approximately $10,000 in debt, has incurred late fees from unpaid bills and, according to council members, recently bounced checks.

“We have to do something to help them,” Council member Dave Grimm said during the meeting. “Whether we form a committee to help the fire company, I don’t know. But we need a fire company. Our residents need a fire company.”

Fire Chief Dustin Houtz — who also updated council on ongoing firefighter training, grant eligibility and upcoming fundraisers — acknowledged the department needs assistance.

“We need help to get our books back into the green,” he said. “There’s going to be more of us that are all for it.”

The discussion began following routine updates from the fire company, including news that two members are currently completing Firefighter 1 certification training before state requirements change at the end of June. The certification provides national recognition for interior firefighters and can improve grant eligibility.

Houtz also said the department recently completed its overdue IRS 990 tax filing, allowing the fire company to once again apply for county and foundation grants.

Despite those positive developments, concerns quickly shifted to the department’s financial condition.

Council members Ed Higgins and Grimm said they attended a nearly two and a half hour fire company meeting the previous evening and came away alarmed by the organization’s bookkeeping practices and mounting debt.

“You’re $10,000 in the hole,” Grimm said. “You can’t pay your bills, you bounce checks, you pay late charges. That’s wrong.”

Higgins additionally noted the organization lacks proper financial oversight and internal controls.

“They have no idea what they’re doing financially,” he said. “You can’t run a business in the red all the time.”

Council members stressed they were not accusing anyone of wrongdoing, but repeatedly emphasized the need for audits, oversight and better accounting practices before the situation worsens.

“We’re not here to criticize,” Grimm said. “We’re here to help but we need to be going in the right direction.”

Council members warned that if the fire company were to fail financially, residents could eventually face significantly higher costs for contracted fire protection from neighboring communities.

“You’re going to lose a fire company,” Council member Don Grant warned. “And then you’re going to pass that cost on to residents.”

The conversation also highlighted the strain placed on volunteers, many of whom work full-time jobs before responding to emergencies and organizing fundraising events.

“These people are volunteer firefighters,” Grimm said. “They are not business people necessarily. We need to back them up in some way so they don’t have to worry about this.”

Fire company fundraising representative, Stephanie Russell, described a series of small fundraisers now underway to help generate revenue, including a hot sausage sale, a spaghetti dinner benefit for the Willits family, a chicken barbecue and a planned mass mailing campaign seeking donations and volunteers.

Russell acknowledged many current fundraisers are being financed personally by volunteers because the department lacks the funds to purchase supplies.

“Station members are going to be supplying the supplies for these upcoming fundraisers,” she said. “That’s the best we can do right now until we figure something else out.”

Council members also discussed declining attendance at Bingo events and poor turnout at some Red Eye Center events, including a recent Mother’s Day brunch that reportedly generated only $14 in profit.

By the end of the discussion, council voted to deviate from its published agenda to formally begin assisting the fire company. The approved motion directs the fire company to pursue an audit, work with the borough finance committee after the audit is completed and continue plans for a borough-wide fundraising mailer.

Council members expressed hope the partnership can stabilize the organization before the situation becomes irreversible.

“I just wish you’d come to us sooner,” Grimm said. “But now we’re on the road to try to straighten it out.”

Council and Houtz have agreed to move forward with the audit and will continue to discuss updates with the department as they come up.