Last week the Highland Fire Commissioners held a public hearing on the department’s 2024 budget. Next year the operating budget will hit $1,331,060, but after calculating $94,800 in projected income, the proposed amount to be collected in taxes is $1,236,260. The operating budget is a 1.95% increase from the current year and the rate per thousand of assessed valuation is 1.1475.

 

The Commissioners broke down the budget into its separate components: $121,450 in salaries; $23,000 in equipment; $526,650 in contracted and other expenses; $150,300 in the Services Awards Program; $5,000 for social security; $66,000 for Workman’s Compensation; $21,900 in health insurance; $42,660 in benefit expenses; $374,100 in allocation to all reserve funds brings it to the $1.3 million total. There were no judgments or claims as well as no debt service payments.

The Commissioners further explained the listed contracted expenses of $526,650 for 2024: $22,600 for administrative expenses; $10,200 in travel; $96,900 and $48,000 costs for building and grounds at Station I and Station II respectively; $36,500 for the community room; $12,650 in hydrant fees; $60,000 in apparatus repairs; $22,000 for gas and oil apparatus fuel; $18,500 for firematic equipment maintenance; $100,000 for fire equipment; $19,100 for the fire alarm system; $56,700 in liability and property insurance and $23,500 in professional fees and services.

 

The department’s accountant James Passikoff further explained the $100,000 fire equipment line. In the department’s released spread sheet the fire equipment line since 2020 has listed $100,000, except in year 2020 it dropped to $50,000.

 

Passikoff concurred that in 2022 the fire equipment budget was $50,000 but pointed out that the department that year actually spent $65,219. He said in 2023 the fire equipment line was listed at $100,000, “and as of June 30, 2023, they spent $14,713 so the $85,287 is budget remaining.”

 

Passikoff said that if, “the money is not spent equally throughout the year, most likely more of it may be spent at the end of the year to buy turnout gear of boots, coats and pants.”

 

Passikoff said they probably would not spend the money on these kinds of items in the first quarter of the year, “because they want to make sure they have money for hoses and that kind of stuff.”

 

Passikoff noted that at the end of the year any money that is not spent, “is combined together and is put into the building reserve or in the equipment reserve for the following year. Those are the major ones.”