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Woodbridge leaders say budget cuts risk delaying AED replacements, supplies and radio maintenance
Summary
Officials warned reductions by the board of selectmen to multiple budget lines could leave the fire department short on AED replacements, routine supplies and radio maintenance, and could force future requests to the board of finance to cover unexpected repairs.
A staff member reviewing Woodbridge's financial statements told the board that cuts to several budget lines could force the fire department to delay equipment replacement and absorb routine supply costs out of shrinking operating funds.
The presenter said the repair/maintenance (building) line shows about a $25,000 deficit, partly because funds were shifted to cover the Bethany storage facility and work on the old firehouse. They said the technical supply line (55120), which pays for day'to'day supplies and hazmat materials, was cut by roughly $10,000 — from a requested $45,000 to about $32,000 — and warned that the reduction will make it difficult to buy necessary items.
"They cut that line by $10,000," the staff member said, adding that the department previously budgeted roughly $120,000'$130,000 a year for repairs and that this year has been heavy for equipment fixes. "We're going to be tight. It's just everything has gone up dramatically in cost."
Board members pressed for specific figures; the presenter said exact requests for the coming budget were not finalized but estimated some increases would be in the $10,000 range. The presenter also said the board of selectmen cut the capital request for AEDs, a roughly $20,000 item the department recommended replacing because many units are more than 15 years old and several had expired maintenance windows.
"The recommendation is we say we should replace them," the presenter said, noting some AEDs had expiration dates as early as 2017.
The presenter said data'processing and cleaning lines were also reduced (about $4,000 and $5,000 respectively), and that a reduction in the IT/data processing contract could put cyber security monitoring at risk. Officials said any unfunded repairs or equipment failures would require returning to the board of finance for supplemental funding.
The board did not take formal budget votes during the meeting. The next steps are to finalize dollar requests and, if needed, send recommendations or letters to the board of finance before the budget hearing.
