North Adams Finance Approves Public Safety, Public Service Budgets
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Finance Committee last week voted to recommended the final line items for the city's proposed $$47,410,070 budget for fiscal 2024.
The City Council will vote on the spending plan on Tuesday.
The departments reviewed included public safety, for which Mayor Jennifer Macksey is requesting increases to ensure staffing for both police and fire. The Police Department is trying to keep a total of 30 officers on staff and the Fire Department is adding two more firefighters to reach 22 as well as five reserve firefighters.
The total budgets for each are $2.15 million for the Fire Department, up 4 percent, and $2.5 million for the Police Department, up 11.5 percent.
All salaries will increase by 2 percent this coming year as part of negotiated contracts and cost-of-living increases for non-union staffing.
Interim Police Mark Bailey and Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre noted that overtime — which has been a significant expense for years — has been reduced as both forces become younger and less senior capacity.
A wave of retirements and a change in demographics means wages are lower and vacation and personal time far reduced.
The Fire Department's salary line is pro-rated with the expectation of bringing on more personnel in the fall after they attend the Fire Academy. Lefebvre said this will mean some overtime this summer, but the overall reduction in over time (almost $90,000) "definitely covers the funding for the salary portion of the two additional positions."
It was noted that the department's equipment is aging and requires more repairs and replacements, including a new ladder truck.
"We will be coming forward at some point in the future, possibly with a borrowing order," Mayor Jennifer Macksey said. "We really need to make a decision what we're doing with our ladder truck. ... [we have] written a grant for a new equipment, which hopefully we'll hear about that soon. And that will decide what we need for our other equipment needs. But the reality is we're going to have to borrow some money and invest in the Fire Department."
The current ladder truck, Engine 2, dates to 1999 and is having significant mechanical problems, said Lefebvre. The mayor has added its replacement listed in the Capital Plan for approximately $1.7 million.
"We're really asking to have everybody really think about the Police Department and the fact that we definitely need more officers," said Bailey. "And that's probably the biggest line items that we have. ... Right now, I just want to say that we only have 23, including myself."
This is reflected in the increased cost in bringing on new officers as the Police Academy charge is up 12.5 percent. Other increased costs are the need for equipment and maintenance at the new police station building and repairs for vehicles. A new expense is for body-worn cameras is $12,500 a year for scheduling, software and cloud storage.
Bailey's added in a new line for community policing efforts of $5,000. This will include hosting events, restarting the domestic violence task force and doing proactive saturation patrols.
"I'm all about blending the professional model of policing into the community policing model," he said. "So I really want to get back out there into the community once we have the staff to do that."
Macksey said she will add in one more line to public safety of $3,000 to cover emergency planning.
"We traditionally have not prepared and not trained for emergency planning only through the [Regional Emergency Planning Committee] as things go on," she said. "It's important to have some money not only to support the REMPC, but to support training for emergencies and disasters. We do a really great job on the school side. But we need to do a better job in our municipal buildings and with our employees across the board about planning for events."
The public buildings repair line had been increased by $20,000 to $30,000 in response to Councilor Ashley Shade's request. The city is also trying to fill assistant posts in building inspection and wire and alarm.
Expenses for public services line items also reflect higher costs for materials and services, including $136,000 more for waste removal from the transfer station and $76,000 more for chemicals for the waste water treatment plant, and the unclassified expenses had nearly a half-million increase for medical insurance and a $224,000 increase for the city's Hoosac Water Quality District assessment. Public services has also added in a master mechanic post for the water filtration that will also be available for other city needs.
Public Safety Administration
| Account Name | 2022 Approved | 2023 Approved | 2024 Requested |
| Part-time Clerk | 0 | $17,306 | $17,652 |
| Business Manager | $52,715 | $53,505 | $54,575 |
| Dispatcher Salaries | 0 | $86,208 | $76,670 |
| Expenses | $4,500 | $1,500 | $9,500 |
| Total | $57,215 | $158,519 | $158,937 |
Building Inspector
A second principal clerk was added into this budget in preparation for a retirement and an assistant building inspector post is hoped to be filled by the new year.
| Account Name | 2022 Approved | 2023 Approved | 2024 Requested |
| Principal Clerk | $45,163 | $45,840 | $47,043 |
| Principal Clerk | $20,542 | ||
| Director of Inspection Services | $75,421 | $76,552 | $78,196 |
| Assistant Building Inspector | $51,604 | $52,378 | $26,713 |
| Code Enforcement | $23,000 | $44,656 | $46,890 |
| Building Maintenance Specialist | $54,883 | $55,707 | $58,092 |
| Overtime | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Hearing Officer | $2,500 | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| Expenses | $5,600 | $5,600 | $5,600 |
| Total | $261,171 | $286,233 | $288,576 |
Fire
The budget is up $58,633 for salaries that include the addition of two more firefighters and $30,000 for vehicle repairs and equipment.
| Account Name | 2022 Approved | 2023 Approved | 2024 Requested |
| Fire Chief | $87,500 | $88,813 | $90,589 |
| Deputy Fire Chief | $76,890 | $78,043 | $79,604 |
| Fire Reserves | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 |
| Lieutenants (4) | $245,060 | $188,918 | $262,492 |
| Firefighters (22) | $1,078,490 | $1,057,992 | $1,117,780 |
| Overtime | $300,000 | $366,698 | 278,972 |
| Holiday Special | $65,567 | $77,470 | $87,121 |
| Expenses | $142,150 | $169,850 | $193,850 |
| Total | $2,030,657 | $2,062,775 | $2,145,408 |
Health Inspection
The health officer post was upgraded to health inspector, one of several changes made in the classification plan this year. The transfer station costs are up $129,000; this reflects the increased costs of waste removal (the transfer station is under public safety but it is overseen by public services).
| Account Name | 2022 Approved | 2023 Approved | 2024 Requested |
| Board of Health | $2,250 | $2,250 | $2,250 |
| Health Inspector | $55,153 | $55,961 | $58,747 |
| Expenses | $142,150 | $169,850 | $193,850 |
| Total (minus transfer station) | $226,510 | $241,855 | $234,564 |
| Transfer Station Foreman | $44,803 | $49,926 | $50,797 |
| Labor | $43,510 | $44,645 | $33,425 |
| Part-time | $29,500 | $37,440 | $37,440 |
| Overtime | 44,568 | $4,637 | $4,730 |
| Transfer Station Expenses | $417.000 | $447,000 | $583,341 |
| Total Expenses | $643,510 | $688,855 | $817,905 |
Police
The main increase in the police line is $152,432 for officers and expenses are up $54,600 for repairs, maintenance and equipment.
| Account Name | 2022 Approved | 2023 Approved | 2024 Requested |
| Police Chief | $90,145 | $91,497 | $93,327 |
| Lieutenant | $78,026 | $79,196 | $80,780 |
| Sergeants (4) | $223,406 | $299,725 | $318,166 |
| Officer in Charge | $7,500 | $9,000 | $9,000 |
| Detectives (3) | $192,383 | $211,512 | $206,014 |
| Court Officer | $66,614 | $68,956 | |
| Police Officers (20) | $1,078,490 | $1,057,992 | $1,117,780 |
| Certifications | $19,000 | $23,000 | |
| Overtime | $300,000 | $266,337 | $266,313 |
| Holiday Special | $67,835 | $81,054 | $107,610 |
| Court Time | $18,270 | $15,000 | $15,00 |
| Expenses | $134,200 | $146,350 | $200,950 |
| Total | $2,020,733 | $2,240,090 | $2,497,353 |
Tags: fiscal 2024, north adams_budget,
