TURNERS FALLS — Voters at Tuesday night’s annual fire district meeting turned down a Fire Department request to authorize a lease for a new ladder truck that would cost about a $1 million.
The three-hour meeting was contentious from nearly start to finish, with multiple requests for secret ballot on the most controversial votes.
“I’ve been approached by several people in the community who would feel more comfortable voting by secret ballot” Ken Morin, member of the Department of Public Works Facility Committee and the Water commission, said.
Most of the standard articles were passed unanimously, but three articles, including the ladder truck, were hotly debated by the crowd of about 90 at Hillcrest Elementary School. Some people cited the underlying concern about a new Department of Public Works facility, which was estimated to cost about $11.5 million before complications forced the town to remove it from the warrant for the town’s upcoming annual meeting.
“I know the timing’s bad, the timing is always going to be bad,” fire Chief John Zellmann said. “It’s a million dollars.”
He said that the department is trying to plan to replace all vehicles that need it, and is trying to adhere as much as possible to national standards, which are designed for higher-use departments, so are more flexible for one the size of Turners Falls.
Zellmann said the truck they are trying to replace has been with the department for 28 years, and it would take an additional 12 to 14 months to build the replacement. National standards dictate that first-line trucks be replaced after 15 years.
Mike Naughton, one of those who was not in support of the ladder truck, said that it was concerning that the prudential committee and the department didn’t have a back up article to possibly shift some money and start saving for the truck in the future, so it would rely less on new taxpayer funding. “This represents a lot of poor planning” he said.
Beyond rejecting money for a new ladder truck and another ambulance, several voters tried to amend the line item of two salaries of the two newest firefighters the department hired last year, effectively firing them.
That move, which eventually failed, was debated for about an hour, with several members of the audience concerned that the department was seeking too much funding.
“You guys just keep asking for more year after year” Morin said.
Zellmann pleaded with the voters in the room to not cut the salaries.
Robert Escott, the retired former Turners Falls Fire chief, said that last year’s additional hirings were recommended by the Finance Committee. Eliminating the positions would revert the department back to a time where they relied more on overtime, he said. He and Zellmann both said that full-time staffers reduce overtime, something that’s hard to see at the bottom line of the budget because there’s been an increase in calls and community use of the department.
Escott said he was involved in the hiring of those two firefighters before he retired. Both he and Zellman said that there was strategy behind the choice to so, which was to reduce overtime pay. But it was clear that people were expecting even bigger budget reductions. “It’s very obvious by the number of people in this room that it’s not reduced enough yet.”
That vote to remove money for two firefighters failed on a voice vote.