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Williamstown Fire Committee Discusses Rising Maintenance Costs
By Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
03:18PM / Tuesday, February 03, 2015
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Williamstown Prudential Committee members Ed Briggs, left, and Ed McGowan participate in last week's meeting.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Fire District is in good financial shape but officials want a better handle on escalating maintenance costs.

The elected Prudential Committee, which oversees the Fire District, heard last week a report from its auditor and discussed the toll that maintenance costs are taking on the district's budget.

Auditor Billie Jo Sawyer of North Adams' Sawyer LLC told the committee, "Overall, you're in a really good financial position."

For fiscal 2014, which ended June 30 last year, the district had revenue totaling $537,452 and expenses of $447,586. It had budgeted $475,000 for both revenue and expenses, leaving it just shy of $90,000 in the black.

In the FY14 audit, the committee read that the greatest single item at variance with the budget was the line for maintenance and operations, which ran at $56,374, or $18,596 more than was budgeted, a difference of 49 percent.

Then Clerk/Treasurer Corydon Thurston told the committee that the FY15 budget, which overall is tracking well, shows a similar variance.

"Through Dec. 31, we're looking at [spending] about 50 percent of the year," Thurston said, referring to the district's balance sheet. "You can see where we're on budget, ahead of budget or behind budget.

"I think we're pretty much on track as we have been in the past, although [maintenance and operations] remains high."

In fact, midway through the fiscal year, the district has paid out about 93 percent of what it appropriated for maintenance — a figure already higher than the FY14 appropriation.

"I think when we're working on next year's budget, we need to be realistic about the M&O figure," committee member Ed Briggs said. "We had a discussion a couple years ago about a maintenance schedule. For example, tires on the back of the tower [truck], those things have been wearing for four or five years and all of a sudden we get hit with a big expense.

"We need 'em. I'm not saying we don't. But let's have a schedule."

Prudential Committee Chairman John Notsley recommended the district press the Connecticut-based company that services the district's trucks for a maintenance budget figure in advance of the May annual Fire District meeting.

"These trucks are not holding up like they used to, and we have to accept that," Notsley said. "Everything is more expensive, that's all.

"A 20- to 25-year life expectancy for a truck — we know that's pie in the sky nowadays. These trucks just aren't lasting."

And caring for them is expensive.

As an example, Fire Chief Craig Pedercini shared a recent anecdote about a part that was replaced on one of the district's trucks.

"A solenoid on a car is probably $25, but for a fire truck, it's probably $125," Pedercini said. "We're kind of being nickle and dimed."

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