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Otsego council approves part‑time fire marshal contract despite budget objections
Summary
The City of Otsego approved a contract with Carrie Smith (DBA FCA LLC) to serve as a part‑time fire marshal (about 20 hours per week) to build inspection and education programs; the contract passed 4–1 after a councilmember said positions omitted from the adopted budget hide true costs.
The City of Otsego council voted June 8 to approve a contract with Carrie Smith (DBA FCA LLC) to serve as a part‑time fire marshal, a decision that passed on a 4–1 vote after council debate about budgeting and transparency.
Chief McCoy introduced the proposal, saying the fire marshal would help draft an ordinance to adopt the 2026 fire code, build a fire inspection and education program, support school education efforts and a key‑box (Knoxbox) program, and assist with records management and pre‑plans. The chief and staff characterized the role as roughly 20 hours per week, with an estimated cost of about $45,000 for July through December.
Council members asked detailed questions about the contract language and program scope: payment remittance language (15 vs. 35 days in the draft), whether the marshal would have purchasing authority (the chief said no; recommendations only), responsibility for ordering equipment, and who would pay for Knoxbox change‑outs (staff said businesses have typically borne that expense in other jurisdictions). City staff presented financial context, citing a building safety department budget figure given in the meeting (presented as “611” in the transcript), year‑to‑date building permit revenues of $857,000 (about 56% of the annual total), and a staff estimate of roughly $700,000 in one‑time surplus heading into the 2027 budget process.
A councilmember opposed the contract on principle, arguing that excluding expected positions from the adopted budget “hides the true cost of operating a fire department” and noting that some line items were already 50% over budget. Staff responded that a revised staffing plan had been presented to council in February and recruitments were initiated following that action. After discussion a motion to approve the contract — subject to final review by the city attorney — passed 4–1.
The contract approved was described in the meeting as between the City of Otsego and Carrie Smith (DBA FCA LLC), subject to city attorney review. The council directed staff to finalize details and to include any longer‑term budget implications in the draft 2027 budget. The transcript records a voice vote with a 4–1 outcome but does not record a roll‑call listing which members voted which way.
