Grand Island fire company seeks large budget increase; town board weighs tax-cap consequences

Representatives of the Grand Island fire company told the Grand Island Town Board during a budget meeting that the department needs a large budget increase this year and smaller increases afterward to avoid undermining operations.

The fire department representative said the company's workload has grown from roughly 1,700 calls in earlier years to about 2,300 this year and that the department's reserve fund has fallen from nearly $300,000 to about $14,000. "For the first 3 years, we were holding our own. The last 3 years, we have been destroyed in our budget," the fire department representative said. He added that some supply costs have spiked sharply: "They have gone up 50% in 1 year," he said, referring to consumable patches for ZOLL heart monitors.

Why it matters: Town officials said accepting the fire company's proposed increase for the current year could force the municipality to "break the tax cap," shifting costs onto other town services or depleting fund balance.…