HARTLAND &045; A dispute over money raised for volunteer firefighters led to the resignation of a half of Hartland’s city officials this week.

Mayor Laura Frederick, Councilor Roger Solberg and City Clerk Joanne Phillips resigned their public positions during the city council meeting on Monday.

The fund was collected by the Hartland Firemen’s Relief Association through charity breakfasts and raffles to purchase new fire equipment. Currently, about $4,400 is pooled.

The management of the fund was somewhat fuzzy, proponents of the mayor said.

For the past 30 years, it was placed in a city bank account. But the association had freedom to access the money whenever necessary.

Mayor Frederick has tried to make it clear that the money is strictly under the control of the city. But the association opposed the attempt, fearing that the money would become part of the city’s general fund and the firefighters would lose control of the money.

To hinder the mayor’s efforts, the association transferred the funds to a new bank account of which the association is the sole holder.

Mayor Frederick challenged the action, insisting it was illegal. But the city council authorized the transfer in a meeting last month.

&uot;State law says that you can’t do that,&uot; said a supporter of the mayor who does not want to identify himself. He said the money was used not only for the equipment but also some retreats.

He said the town’s residents want the money to be used to improve the fire department. &uot;This is an accountability issue,&uot; he said.

Mayor Frederick could not be reached Thursday, and other officials who resigned did not return phone calls for comment over the last two days.

The Firemen’s Association had a meeting Thursday and confirmed the transfer. Chief Glenn Ausen refused to comment on the details about the fund.

&uot;This issue will be brought up with the city board, and it will be up to them how the money will be handled,&uot; Ausen said. &uot;The mayor did an excellent job in our community. We are friends and neighbors in this town. I did not like to see that they resigned but I respect their decision.&uot;

In an emergency council meeting Thursday, Councilor Kyle Reed was appointed as the new mayor. Greg Recknor and Ray Mielke were instated to fill the freed-up councilor seats previously held by Solberg and Reed. New Richland City Clerk Gail Schmidt was named tentative city clerk until the city can hire a new person.

Reed says the problem is more personal than monetary. &uot;The city and firefighters need to get together and communicate better,&uot; he said.

“I believe that nobody was trying to cause any problems,&uot; he said. In the next couple of city council meetings, Reed said he would address the issue to seek a resolution. &uot;We have to mend fences between the city and firefighters, and get them to understand how the city budget works and what their responsibility is.&uot;