Fire Budget Approved at $316K

The Town of Newfield Board of Trustees and the Newfield Fire Company came to an agreement on the 2009 fire contract only days before the new year started. The two organizations had been discussing the fire budget over the past several months but did not sign a formal agreement until a special meeting on December 30.

The town budget allotted $311,000 to the fire company, but the final amount in the contract totaled $316,068. The extra money is from a contingency reserve fund built up from interest and money not spent by the department. Ultimately, the fire company’s budget is not as high as it initially requested.

Tim Payne, chairman of the board of directors for the fire company, said he is pleased the company and the town could reach an agreement before 2008’s contract expired.

“It wasn’t quite what we were looking for,” he said. “Overall, I’d say I’m happy. I’m glad we settled it by the end of the year.”

During the town meetings, board members and members of the fire company discussed ways the contracting process can go smoother in the future. This year’s process included a lot of price explanations from the fire company and cost saving suggestions from the town board.

“We’re hoping to sit down with the town board a little earlier [next year],” Payne said. “Right now we negotiate every year, which is a little much. We’re going to look into a three year contract.”

Payne said he is also researching fire districts at the town board’s request but does not have any information yet. Board members suggested the fire company look into creating a Newfield Fire District that would service surrounding municipalities and bring in additional revenue from neighboring towns.

A major increase to the budget in recent years has been fire company funds maintained to offset the cost of fire hall renovations and purchasing new trucks, Payne said.

“We try to plan for the future so we don’t have to come up with $3,000 or $4,000,” he said. “Part of the process and battle with the town board is keeping those funds up.”

The company’s largest fund is the fire truck replacement fund. If the fund is properly maintained the fire company will be able to pay for future trucks without bonds. The next truck is due to be replaced in 2012 and the plan covers replacements until 2022. Payne said money allocated to the truck fund has drastically increased because old amounts of around $1,500 would not pay for modern vehicles.

“We laid out a catch-up plan which should be done in three or four years,” he said.

At budget negotiations with the town board, fire company members said that if the budget is not increased enough the company might need to stop renting out the fire hall. At the moment non-profit groups can rent the fall free of charge and residents can use it for a small fee. Payne said increasing the charge is not necessary at the moment and the hall will continue to operate as it has in the past.

“If it really got bad that might be an option,” he said. “The revenue we bring in really isn’t enough to cover heating and gas for cooking that’s used.”

The fire hall does not want to stop reaching out to the community through special programs and an open fire hall but Payne said they have no legal obligation to do so and if finances get tight it is an option.

“We explained to the town board, it’s something we like to do for the town [but] it’s non essential to our contract,” he said.

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