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Plymouth approves firefighter hire, police and fire contracts, and multiple equipment leases
Summary
Voters approved one additional full‑time firefighter, a three‑year police union contract and a one‑year fire union agreement; the meeting also authorized capital leases for a new fire engine, a tanker, and a replacement ambulance after public discussion of costs and public‑safety needs.
Town meeting voters approved a set of public‑safety measures that together seek to staff and equip Plymouth’s emergency services.
Key outcomes: voters approved funding to hire one additional full‑time Plymouth Fire Rescue employee (Article 13), ratified a three‑year contract with the Plymouth Police Department (Article 14), and approved a one‑year agreement with the Plymouth Professional Firefighters (Article 16). Meeting voters also authorized multi‑year lease payments for a replacement fire engine (Article 21), a new dry‑side tandem‑axle tanker (Article 22) and a replacement ambulance (Article 23).
Why it matters: Select board and presenters said the hires and equipment are intended to respond to rising call volume and to meet industry service and safety standards. Fire Chief Kevin Pierce said Plymouth Fire Rescue has seen a roughly 23% increase in call volume over five years and that adding staff and modern apparatus is intended to improve response and to meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) service expectations. “This year alone, we’ve done 1,824 emergency responses,” Chief Kevin Pierce said when explaining the request for additional personnel and apparatus.
Contract details and resident concerns - Police contract: the three‑year contract with the Plymouth Police Department includes pay increases estimated at roughly $87,156 for fiscal year 2025–26; negotiated raises are 4% in 2025–26, 3% in 2026–27 and 3% in 2027–28, the manager said. The article passed by voice vote. - Fire contract and hire: the one‑year professional‑firefighters agreement carries an estimated $168,548 fiscal‑year cost; voters approved both the contract and the separate article to fund one additional full‑time firefighter. Town officials said the single‑year contract aligns the firefighters’ schedule with future multi‑year negotiations.
Apparatus and leases - Fire engine lease (Article 21): voters approved payment number three of a five‑year lease for a previously approved fire engine; the appropriation for the annual lease payment was approved by voice vote. - Tanker lease (Article 22): the select board was authorized to enter an eight‑year lease for a Pierce Manufacturing dry‑side tanker in the amount of $911,320, with the first‑year payment of $143,009.42 approved by voters; the lease contains an escape clause. Officials explained the lead time for new apparatus can be multiple years and cited rising steel tariffs and long delivery schedules as reasons to order now. - Ambulance lease (Article 23): voters authorized a five‑year lease in the amount of $450,000 for a replacement ambulance and approved the first‑year payment of $113,000.
Public comment during debate included concerns about recurring operating costs and taxes. One resident asked whether apparatus could be procured used to reduce cost; Chief Pierce and other officials said older apparatus would only defer replacement and may increase maintenance costs. Other residents emphasized public‑safety and insurance implications of aging equipment.
Ending: The approved agreements and leases will be funded from the operating budget and lease purchases; select board and department staff will manage procurement and delivery schedules and report back to the town on implementation.
