Everything passes but the budget.

That was the consensus of voters who took part in Dartmouth Fire District 1’s Annual Meeting Wednesday evening, with every initial budget request being accepted except for the actual overall budget itself.

A vote to raise and appropriate $603,200 for the support of the district’s budget was denied, with voters opting to go with the same amount approved last year, which was $528,400.

All of the items funded through the annual meeting come from the tax levy of the district’s residents or paying customers.

Most of the items on the agenda passed unanimously, although a separate motion from the audience to amend an initial request and to raise the Prudential Committee's salary from from $2,000 apiece ($6,000 total) to $3,000 apiece ($9,000 total) was denied by voters. The initial request to appropriate them $2,000 apiece was approved.

Prudential Committee Vice President John Haren said the increase wasn’t necessary.

“The Prudential Committee gets paid enough,” said Haren. “They get paid more than other districts. We’re supposed to spend the money like we earned it ourselves. If we all think about it like it’s coming out of our own hands, we’re less likely to spend it.”

Voters also approved the following measures:

• To allow the district to raise and appropriate $40,000 to the Building and Maintenance account.
• To allow one dollar per hour raises to each of the hourly positions in the district.
• To allow the Chief (John Judson) to sell or dispose of surplus equipment.
• To raise and appropriate $77,000 for Judson’s salary for the year.
• To raise and appropriate $25,000 for 10 sets of fire gear.

Judson said that there are approximately 20 sets of gear that need to be replaced, and that it would be a two-year plan to replace it, with half of that coming this year.

“The intent was to split it (between two years),” he said. “That’s what that money will be used for.”

Voters also approved stipends of $500 each for employees who actively take EMT training every year.

“That’s determined to be an incentive,” said Judson, “and it also counts as time required to keep up with their classroom time and so forth.

Fire District 1 covers the easterly portion of town south of Allen Street and east of Tucker Road. The boundary cuts through the woods down to Russells Mills Road and Potomska Road up to New Bedford line.