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Selectboard holds extended budget workshops for fire and police, weighing staffing and overtime tradeoffs
Summary
At a lengthy budget workshop the fire chief proposed adding one or two entry-level firefighters (each with benefits estimated at about $110,085) to reduce overtime and improve 7-day coverage; the police chief presented updated revenue offsets (hospital and event reimbursements), discussed ammunition and vehicle cost changes, and noted high overtime partly driven by consolidated sick/vacation/holiday/OT accounting.
The Selectboard held an extended budget workshop focused on both the Skowhegan Fire and Police Departments and the tradeoffs between adding personnel and paying overtime.
Fire: Fire Chief Ryan Johnston presented three budget scenarios: add two new full-time entry-level firefighters, add one, or add none. He estimated a fully loaded new position with benefits at about $110,085 and outlined a staggered hiring option (one in July, a second in January) to reduce first-year cost. Johnston said two positions would provide 7-day coverage and reduce overtime by filling planned vacation slots on the roster: “...we'll…
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