Fire department budget OK’d with 5% increase

A 5.3% increase in the Belgium Fire Department’s annual operating budget passed without any dissention on Monday, but a $50,000 purchase and another much larger one garnered some more discussion.

The privately held department relies on money from the Village and Town of Belgium — its coverage area. Each year, elected officials from both municipalities work with the department before approving its budget.

This year, the budget went to $167,450 from last year’s $159,022.

“There’s nothing in there I’d call wasteful spending,” Chief Pat Wester said.

The breakdown has the Town of Belgium paying $88,631 and the village paying $78,818.

Replacing medicine, defibrillator maintenance and rental agreements for oxygen tanks was why the rescue squad fund increased from $5,000 to $8,000.

Fire inspections are up from $4,800 to $6,000 because the state is now requiring migrant housing to be inspected. Belgium has Appleland Farm Market and Lakeside Foods, which have migrant housing, Wester said.

Insurance and licensing increased from $25,000 to $27,000. Fuel went from $4,000 to $4,300.

The rest of the budget categories stayed the same or slightly decreased.

Members of the town and village boards unanimously approved the budget.

The department also wants to replace its defibrillators next year since its current ones turn 10 years old and are at the end of their life. The department uses them on every call to take vitals that can help determine how to treat patients, Wester said.

New defibrillators cost $50,000. The town agreed to pay for them, but the village only wanted to contribute if its paramedic referendum is approved in November. If it fails, the village has to find money in its budget to pay its portion of paramedic-level service through a joint effort with the towns and villages of Belgium and Fredonia. The Town of Belgium’s elected officials agreed to that stipulation.

The town plans to ask its electors to pay for the paramedic service at its annual meeting next year.

The group agreed to let the department research options on buying a new pumper. The 1995 pumper, one of three in the department, is due for replacement next year and is expected to cost $650,000 to $815,000, depending on the type purchased. Wester said costs are rising about 2% per quarter, and it takes about four years from the time the department orders the truck to when it would receive it.

Town Supr. Bill Janeshek said the town’s budget is only allowed to increase by about 1.9% per year, which doesn’t provide enough money to help pay for such an apparatus. Village Treasurer Vickie Boehnlein said the village would need time to save money for the purchase.

An idea of dropping the department to two pumpers was floated, but Wester said, “I don’t think it’s a wise decision to get rid of a pumper here when our youngest is 23 years old.”