SUMMERDALE — The Summerdale Volunteer Fire Department appears to be refusing to pay its own bills.

During Monday’s Summerdale Town Council meeting, Mayor David Wilson asked Summerdale Fire Chief John Resmondo for the department to begin doing so. However, the fire chief hesitated.

“Is there a problem?” Wilson asked him at the meeting.

“That’s not my place to say,” Resmondo replied. “It’s the fire department’s place to say.”

Wilson explained that every October, the Council formulates its annual budget, which includes the fire department’s finances.

“Y’all set up a meeting and get back with us Friday,” he said.

“Monday,” Resmondo replied. “I will not be here Friday.”

According to the mayor, the Summmerdale Fire Department receives an ad-valorem tax each year.

“Last year’s was $168,556 in ad valorem revenue,” Wilson said of the revenue collected from sales tax in the town of Summerdale. “Their fund balance is $30,000.”

“Up until now, they’ve never paid their expenses,” Wilson said after the meeting. “This year, we asked them to pay their expenses.”

He explained that during its work session earlier this month, the council asked the Summerdale Fire Department to begin paying a portion of its expenses, which totaled $77,800 last year.

“That’s a total of close to $20,000 a year,” Wilson said of the request . “At the work session, they said sure.”

But in Monday’s meeting, Resmondo to Wilson’s reply to the request was quite different.

“Y’all can turn the lights off, “ he told the council.

“No, we’re not turning the lights out on the fire department,” Wilson replied.

According to state law ad-valorem tax is to be used only for the purchase of fire trucks, fire stations, fire equipment, communications, fire training, fire vehicle and station insurance, oil, gas, hydrants, utilities and vehicle or station repair.

“Such funds shall not be used to pay salaries, purchase food and drink or to hold fundraising projects,” the law states.

According to Wilson, that shouldn’t be a problem, as the department, which is housed in the old Summerdale Town Hall, is manned by an all-volunteer staff. With that in mind, he feels the town council is making a reasonable request.

“I feel like that shouldn’t be a drain on the taxpayers,” he said after Monday’s meeting.