INDIANTOWN — The village Thursday upped the ante in its talks with Martin County over the future of fire rescue services. After getting a county pledge of $1.5 million to stay with county services for five years, Indiantown put out its hand for another $1 million.
But the decision to go back to the county for more money wasn't unanimous. Vice Mayor Jackie Gary Clarke and Councilwoman Susan Gibbs Thomas voted no.
“I don’t know where the idea came from that this is a negotiable thing,” Gibbs Thomas told the Village Council. “I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot with this one, and it’s going to hurt the people in Indiantown.”
The county’s original offer — $300,000 a year for five years to upgrade water flow in the village and benefit current rescue services in the area — was met Thursday with a counteroffer of $500,000 a year for five years, or $2.5 million total.