In the wake of Greenville’s revised Act 47 plan, council plans to seriously consider if the borough can afford a paid fire department.

Council vice president Pamela Auchter brought the idea to the table at Tuesday’s meeting after discussing her hands-on participation Saturday in a training session with the fire department and Mayor Dick Miller’s call for a referendum on department’s status.

Mrs. Auchter and council member David Henderson suited up and walked through a controlled house fire at Butler County Fire School. She said the experience was well worth it.

New Act 47 recommendations suggest council members determine if the borough can continue to support a paid fire department, one of many hard decisions that needs to be made, Mrs. Auchter said.

Act 47 is the state’s debt recovery plan for financially-distressed communities. The state declared Greenville an Act 47 town in May of 2002.

Miller has suggested council decide if a volunteer fire department would be more feasible. Council could vote to get the measure on the ballot next spring for voters to decide if paid or volunteer is the way to go, he said after the meeting.

Under state law, a vote is required to dissolve a paid department.

If council does choose to put the issue on the ballot, a plan would have to be in place that would outline the workings of an all-volunteer fire department, Miller said.

The fire department currently has six paid full-time firefighters and a chief and seven active volunteers. The firefighters’ union contract has been a point of contention between the union and the borough.

Council President Pete Longiotti on Thursday announced the borough plans to file an appeal with the state Supreme Court for its contract with International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1976.

The borough has argued the manpower section of the contract, which says two firefighters should be on duty at all times and fire department apparatus can’t respond to a fire call with less than two firefighters, violates the Act 47 plan.