Pay raises in the works for Fire District No. 2

Apr 13, 2021

While mostly similar to last year’s budget, Fire District No. 2 is looking to make some boosts to its maintenance abilities, along with a possible bump in pay for a deputy chief in the upcoming fiscal year.

Last year, the district appropriated $25,000 for vehicle repair and maintenance and $10,000 for upkeep on firefighter equipment. For the upcoming fiscal year, the chief and prudential committee hope to slightly increase those funds.

“Mostly chainsaws and stuff like that,” Fire Chief Tim Andre noted at an April 12 prudential committee meeting. “That pretty much covers all of the smaller stuff.”

The biggest topic of discussion was a bump in pay for the district’s deputy chief. The department previously appropriated $6,000 for the part-time position, but are now looking to increase it to upward of $35,000.

According to Andre, this would be a way to incentivize someone with more experience to take and keep the position.

The proposed budget also includes compensation for district officials, firefighters, general expenses and operational expenses, loan payments, and reserve funds.

If approved at the annual meeting, the chief would likely see a $2,853 bump in pay for the upcoming fiscal year. 

The annual election for the district will be held April 26, with the meeting to approve the finalized budget on May 10.