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Orono council approves pay rates for new fire-officer roles; Benson dissents
Summary
The Orono City Council voted 4–1 to approve pay rates for newly created fire-officer positions after the city adopted job descriptions earlier; dissenting Council member Benson said the funding decision lacked adequate community engagement and conflicts with the city’s comprehensive plan.
Orono’s City Council on July 22 approved compensation rates tied to newly adopted fire-officer job descriptions, voting 4–1 after a brief debate over policy and public engagement. The council voted to set deputy chief of training pay at $25 per hour, captain at $22, lieutenant at $21 and fire prevention specialist at $22.
Fire Chief Van Isle told the council the organizational chart and job descriptions were approved on Aug. 28, 2023, but the council had not approved the pay rates at that time, so the item before the council was meant to correct that omission. “So this is to correct that,” the chief said as he outlined the proposed rates and their purpose in recognizing extra duties and expertise.
Council member Benson objected to approving the pay rates without broader citizen engagement around the policy of creating and funding a city fire department. “I’m not supportive of these expenditures for an Orono fire department because the policy decision to create and fund the department is out of alignment with our city mission and parts of our comprehensive plan because it has not involved a process for citizen engagement,” she said.
The council discussed procedure after the motion; city counsel clarified that a councilor who seconds a motion is not required to vote in favor of it. The motion passed, 4–1, with Benson recorded as the sole dissenting vote.
Council members and the chief indicated they will coordinate a future pinning/swearing-in ceremony for promoted staff once schedules align. The chief also said the department will continue work to improve en-route times and training as the duty-crew model is implemented.
The vote finalizes pay rates for the positions defined by the previously adopted job descriptions; council members who supported the motion framed it as aligning compensation with duties and improving public safety staffing.
