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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 actually save on overtime,” he said, adding that new hires would also improve two-in/two-out safety at structure fires. The board discussed recruitment, succession after an upcoming captain retirement, training costs and a plan to gradually fund replacement of aging technical-rescue gear through capital set-asides.
Police: The police chief presented an updated revenue column that includes hospital reimbursement and other previously omitted line items, showing a net revenue increase that helps offset personnel costs. He noted three substantive changes to lines: ammunition (lowered because the department switched to a new 9mm Glock model), vehicle maintenance (increased), and building/communications costs (increased to cover downtown substation rent and a comms contract). On overtime, the chief explained the department consolidated sick, vacation, holiday and overtime into one budget line; much of the apparent OT reflects holiday and sick coverage costs. He described efforts to use reserve officers and hospital contract revenue to offset overtime and noted CAD data conversion issues that complicate retrospective call counts.
Board members probed ways to trim overtime, asked for clearer data on mutual-aid imbalances with neighboring towns and inquired about training reimbursements (the Alfond Workforce Development program was mentioned as a reimbursement avenue). Members asked staff to return with more detailed line-item comparisons and phasing options (e.g., one hire in January to lower first-year cost). Several members emphasized the need to reconcile audits and long-term fiscal planning before committing to multi-year increases.
Next steps: staff will provide more granular cost comparisons, phased hire scenarios, overtime breakdowns excluding reimbursed items, and clearer CAD/call-volume data for future budget deliberations.
