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Brookline Selectboard reviews Fire Department pay increases, truck planning and Fire Wards warrant articles
Summary
At a Jan. 13 budget hearing the Brookline Selectboard reviewed a proposed 6.16% increase to the Fire Department budget driven largely by a new compensation policy, debated adding to a truck capital reserve while carrying 2025 truck payments, and discussed two Fire Wards warrant articles; Chief Meaghan Fricke recused herself from the Fire Wards discussion.
At a Jan. 13 Brookline Selectboard budget hearing, Fire Chief Meaghan Fricke presented a revised Fire Department budget that the board recorded as $749,165, a 6.16% increase from the prior year. The increase reflects implementation of the town's new compensation policy and higher call, per-diem and training pay.
Chief Meaghan Fricke said she distributed a salary breakdown and explained the calculations supporting the increases. When asked about vehicle maintenance costs after the department sold two vehicles and took a third out of service, Fricke said the town lacks an in-house mechanic and had underfunded maintenance in recent years; she told the board "we can make it $32,000" in truck maintenance if needed and that she had left a buffer on fuel lines. Selectboard Chair Eddie Arnold asked why per-diem rose substantially; Fricke said she plans to hire out some work and increase per-diem allowances for that purpose.
The board debated capital planning for future fire apparatus. Officials noted the town is still paying roughly $170,000 annually toward the 2025 truck and expressed resistance to adding $50,000 this year to the Fire Truck Capital Reserve. Members discussed alternatives including selling older units (Rescue 1 and Engine 4) and directing proceeds to a fund, and rejected bonding as undesirable because of overlapping payments and high interest costs. The chief outlined a plan for a stock truck in 2030–31 and cautioned that saving incrementally for a million-dollar vehicle could be ineffective.
The hearing also recorded two proposed warrant articles related to Fire Wards: one to eliminate the Fire Wards and one to increase their number from three to five. Chief Fricke recused herself from that part of the discussion. Selectboard members asked whether the Fire Wards proposals should be discussed in a separate meeting; no decision was reached and a joint Fire Wards & Selectboard meeting was noted in the clerk's notes.
Ambulance and related emergency-service funding surfaced in the same review. Chief Stewart presented the ambulance budget (described as the same as Sharon's budget) and confirmed Mason Service Contract funds are directed into a fund to buy a new ambulance. Emergency Management lead Dave Coffey told the board he will shift from a stipend to a part-time employee status, increasing his line from $9,500 to $31,000 and a total Emergency Management budget to $43,000.
The board asked staff to check warrant-article language with the Department of Revenue Administration and was advised to keep equipment-warrant language broad to preserve purchase flexibility. The board scheduled follow-up discussion at its Jan. 20 meeting.
