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Select Board hears concerns over volunteer fire/EMS staffing as budget talks focus on clerk, planner and tax impacts
Summary
Select Board members and residents raised recruitment and burnout concerns for the volunteer fire and EMS force and debated budget tradeoffs — including a proposed part‑time clerk and planner — with staff presenting scenarios showing the public safety building accounts for much of the near‑term tax increase.
Select Board members and town staff spent the Feb. 5 meeting addressing mounting pressures on North Haven’s volunteer fire and EMS services and weighing staffing proposals in the draft 2025 budget.
A fire department representative described chronic recruitment and retention challenges and warned of burnout among volunteers. “I’ve been doing this going on five years … I’m burned out,” the representative said, arguing the department needs clearer job descriptions, training support and possibly a paid administrative position to handle compliance and licensing so on‑call chiefs can focus on operations.
Board members and staff discussed practical steps: a recruitment flyer, developing formal job descriptions for officers, and creating a part‑time compliance/administrative position that could be shared across EMS and fire duties. The deputy and staff explained that some mandated written programs and inspections now fall to volunteers and that a part‑time administrator could take on licensing, reporting and other paperwork. “It would help to have somebody do the compliance paperwork and keep the licensing up so the chiefs can do hands‑on work,” one speaker said.
Public commenters and a budget committee member urged fiscal caution. A budget committee member and assessor said they were “literally losing sleep over how much money the town has spent” and suggested trimming consultant lines and rethinking the clerk hours to reduce the proposed 19.5% net increase in the draft budget. Staff presented alternate scenarios showing that trimming the planner line from $60,000 to $40,000 or adjusting clerk hours could materially reduce the net increase (examples cited: dropping to around 18.66% or lower depending on choices).
Board members emphasized that much of the near‑term tax rise is driven by debt service for the recently approved public safety building; staff said the net increase would be about 2.85% if the public safety building debt service were excluded. The board discussed clearer public communications to explain where tax dollars are going and possible phased implementation of new positions.
The meeting also handled several routine votes: approval of warrants and minutes, a $1,515 town‑office camera system purchase, hiring of a six‑week intern (Lincoln Graham), approval of a closed bid sale for a transfer‑station tractor (starting bid $2,000), and dedicating the Town Report to first responders. The board scheduled follow‑up sessions with the budget committee to refine staffing and budget decisions before town meeting.
