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Board members say fire-protection contract should have been negotiated earlier; referendum and cost concerns discussed
Summary
Board members criticized the process that left a proposed fire protection figure in the supervisor—s preliminary budget without a negotiated contract and discussed a referendum, negotiation timing and potential budget shortfalls.
Board members spent an extended portion of the meeting discussing the town—s fire protection contract and how it arrived in the supervisor—s preliminary budget without a negotiated agreement.
Several members said negotiations should have happened before the budget process. One board member said, "This should have been negotiated, not brought into the budget process like this," and criticized placement of a contract number into the supervisor—s budget without prior board agreement. The transcript shows concern that the company has been requesting one-year extensions while pursuing a fire district, and those extensions and timing disrupted a timely contract negotiation.
The board discussed the history and timeline: members said the fire-district conversation began in 2021 and continued through 2022, during which the fire company repeatedly sought extensions. One member said the company had "a number in their head" but that the board had not agreed on an amount. Members said they had the option during the year to refer a funding question to voters and compared the situation to a prior referendum the board used for a recreation center.
Board members discussed concrete budget mechanics raised in the supervisor—s preliminary numbers. One member warned that inserting an escalator clause could produce a shortfall the board could not absorb on short notice: "you can put a 3% escalator in there for them, and then they're saying, we're not gonna sign it. Now we've gotta figure out a way to come up with $200,000 out of thin air to satisfy that." The transcript does not provide supporting calculations for the $200,000 figure.
Members differed on timing and next steps but agreed the board needs to develop an approach that "makes sense for everybody" before finalizing the budget. One member said a referendum remains an available option: "I would go to a special I agree. Absolutely. It should be a referendum." Another recalled that the board could have asked the district for a dollar amount to place before voters.
The transcript records that the supervisor—s deadline for filing related documents was Sept. 15 and that the speaker filed the special-district materials with the clerk the previous Friday. The supervisor's preliminary budget materials were on file, and members discussed that subsequent changes would become part of the preliminary-to-final budget process.
No formal contract with the fire company was reported as signed during the meeting. The group discussed forming a negotiation team earlier in the year and noted that COVID-era delays and changing costs have complicated negotiations. Board members urged clearer negotiation timelines and suggested the board assemble negotiation parameters and expectations prior to entering talks with the fire company.
