Delray Beach fire chief outlines preliminary $7.6 million operating ask, urges risk assessment

Fire Rescue Chief Ronald Martin presented the Delray Beach Fire Rescue Department’s preliminary FY2025–26 operating request during the city’s April 8 budget workshop, telling the City Commission the department used a zero‑based budgeting approach and built in a 5–6% inflation assumption.

Martin said the department’s preliminary operational figure was $6,961,609, which he said represents an increase of roughly 9.75% over current‑year operating figures after the department scanned its five program areas and identified additional needs in emergency management and homeland security. After eliminating duplicated legacy expenditures and adding the emergency‑management increase, Martin said total operating cost in the preliminary request is $7,631,816.

The proposal reflected operational changes Martin said the department has already implemented this fiscal year, including tighter fiscal controls on purchases approaching $5,000, reclassification of some positions in collective bargaining with Local 1842 to exempt executive classifications, and steps to reduce overtime. He called for further planning and evaluation tools, saying the city should commission an independent community risk assessment and a fire strategic plan to set long‑term funding and operational priorities.

The mayor and commissioners pressed for context and next steps. Mayor Carney warned that, using the packet numbers, costs for “fire and police” together would outstrip projected ad valorem revenue and said the city must decide whether to raise revenues or reduce spending. “If you just go with this number, our cost for fire and police is 113 percent of our ad valorem taxes,” the mayor said, noting contracts and wage commitments limit near‑term flexibility.

Chief Martin defended the department’s approach, emphasizing sustainability and the department’s controls. He described items in the emergency management budget such as FEMA‑specific training, planning for feeding and 72‑hour staff provisions, and a small restricted contingency for large all‑hands emergency operations. Martin said those emergency‑management items account for the “majority of our uptake in operational expenses.”

City staff described the timetable and follow‑up: today’s presentation was one of four department workshops (April 8, April 22, May 6 and May 20), with a June 10 meeting planned for an aggregate budget discussion and a formal proposed operating budget to follow in July. Finance staff said the materials distributed April 4 included 596 pages of line‑item data and that the materials are an early, unvetted “first pass.”

Commissioners requested clearer summary materials and comparative columns for future packets (for example, percent variance versus the amended FY2024–25 budget), and asked staff to continue vetting personnel calculations and overtime projections with departments. Staff acknowledged the packet was preliminary and said they would provide executive summaries and refined worksheets for the next sessions.

Martin concluded that with deeper review and collaboration he expects to reduce some of the initial increases, but reiterated his recommendation that a community risk assessment and formal strategic planning for fire rescue be adopted to guide long‑term funding and staffing decisions.