DALTON, Mass. — The Fire District voters will be asked to approve nearly $3 million in spending articles at Tuesday's annual meeting. 

 

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m.at the Stationery Factory.

 

The 22 articles on the warrant amount to $2,950,182, a $253,728 increase from the previous year. 

 

The funds raised by taxation would amount to $1,063,582. The remaining costs would be covered by transfers from other accounts like the overlay and free cash and revenues raised by the department including fees and ambulance. 

 

The commissioner and treasurer are requesting that voters approve various money items, Articles 2 through 7, amounting to $221,513, a 4 percent, or $7,557, increase from FY23.  

 

Contributing to this increase is Article 4, which proposes district voters approve an increase of 300 percent for administration contingency bringing the budget from $5,000 to $20,000. 

 

Article 2 proposes that the budget item for commissioners' compensation to remain level funded at $5,948 and Article 3 is proposing a $19,807, or 18 percent increase, to cover administration bringing the budget item from $112,508 to $132,315. 

 

Article 5 asks voters to authorize a $1,500, or 14 percent, increase for accounting consulting fees, which would bring the budget item from $10,500 to $12,000.

 

Article 7 creates a budget in the amount of $1,250 for a Governmental Accounting Standards Board 45 budget. The Other Post Employment Benefits budget, Article 6, is proposed to remain at $50,000. 

 

The Water Department is requesting that voters approve various money items amounting to $1,215,466, a 6 percent or $64,763 increase from FY23. 

 

Articles 12 and 13 are the major drivers to the budget increase. Article 12 asks for authorization to appropriate $30,000 to cover the cost of meter calibrations. This was not in the FY23 budget. 

 

Article 13 is requesting that the district approve a timber maintenance budget increase to $37,000, an 85 percent or $17,000 increase from FY23. 

 

A yes vote on Article 9 would decrease the Water Department principal and interest line item by $7,065 bringing its total to $377,625. 

 

Article 8 is requesting voters approve a 4 percent increase for the Water Department's operating budget bringing its total to $704,841 from $681,013. 

 

The department's contingencies budget, Article 10, and bills budget, Article 11, remain level funded. 

 

The Fire Department is requesting that voters approve various money items amounting to $1,513,203, a 12 percent or $161,271 increase from FY23. 

 

Contributing to this increase is Article 18, which is requesting that voters approve a 400 percent or $40,000 increase in the department's contingency budget. 

 

Also influencing this increase is Article 20, which is requesting the town appropriate $10,800 to cover the cost of an AED, or automated external defibrillator upgrades. 

 

The department is also requesting that the town appropriate $10,700 for Article 21, which would cover the cost of a Megacode Kelly Electronic Manikin, a human-size device used for cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.

 

Article 22 is requesting that the district appropriate $2,5000 to cover the cost of 50 percent of a state Department of Conservation and Recreation matching grant for forest fire fighting equipment. 

 

Article 23 would appropriate $10,000 to cover the cost of 5 percent federal Assistance to Firefighters grant. Both Articles 22 and 23 are level funded from last year. 

 

The department's ambulance budget, Article 14, is requesting a 19 percent, or $122,293 increase, which would bring the budget to $703,506.

 

Article 15 is an appropriation of $597,837 for the department's operating budget. This would be a 9 percent increase from FY23. 

 

The dispatch support fee and dispatch fee to the town, Articles 16 and 17, are projected to remain level funded.