DALTON, Mass. — Michael Kubicki says his priorities if re-elected to the Board of Water Commissioners are to ensure the fire and life safety of the Fire District and make sure the district goes in the direction the members want. 

 

Kubicki has been serving on the board since 2009 and is seeking a sixth three-year term. He is being challenged by former firefighter Ken Sagendorf in the May 14 election. 

 

He said he has seen many changes and tribulations, including the hiring of a new fire chief, the Fire District assuming responsibility for the ambulance, and navigating a pandemic. 

 

He emphasized the need to ensure the district is funded properly with a little bit of excess so it can rebuild its free cash and set aside money for future needs or capital items, such as vehicle replacements. 

 

Over the last few years, the district has been stringently budgeting to take the burden of the taxpayers during the pandemic and was using free cash to cover shortfalls. The commissioners say the proposed fiscal 2025 budget will more adequately cover costs. 

 

"We know what we need to operate. We assume we have, based off of the calls we have. As those calls go up, it costs us more to provide that service. So, we've got a little bit of flexibility in that budget for that," Kubicki said. 

 

If the district can find ways to save money to come in under budget, it can put that money back into stabilization and free cash for the major purchases it needs to subsidize, he said.

 

The district cannot cover the full cost of the major purchases but having stabilization and free cash would allow it to make a down payment to help defray some loan payments, Kubicki said. 

 

Kubicki was a maintenance manager at Crane & Co. for 25 years, which he said gave him extensive experience developing budgets for multi-trade maintenance departments, similar to what he helps do on the board.   

 

One of the biggest issues the district is facing is the reimbursements for ambulance services.

 

"They kind of balk at what the cost is for an ambulance, but they certainly don't walk when they need it," Kubicki said. "So, financing the ambulance and then staying after the insurance companies and Medicare to make sure that we get the payment that is due to us for the service we provide."

 

One of the things the district is considering is sharing the cost of ambulance services with surrounding communities that call upon its services.

 

"I think [the surrounding communities] understand that, too, that they can't staff an ambulance. So, they're depending on us to be there when they need help. So, start, maybe you start sharing some of that costs," Kubicki said. 

 

Kubicki agrees with pursuing legal action against the company that failed to complete the fire truck order to regain some of the money it lost from the down payment. He said the negotiations were bad from the start. 

 

There were complaints last year about a lack of communication within the Fire Department and Fire District. Communication can always be improved, said Kubicki, adding the district has already taken the steps to do so under the direction of its new Fire Chief Christian Tobin, Kubicki said. 

 

"We've made some really great progress in establishing policies and procedures," he said. "The number of our calls is going up, and our response time to the calls is appropriate."

 

The district also has to find a way to present the information to the district's voters, whether through the Internet, print, its website, or social media, he said. 

 

"We've got to use all of our options to get information to people so that they can get the information in the method that they like it," Kubicki said. 

 

Tobin has had a lot of great ideas, such as an outreach program with the schools, and informational meetings, he said, and there was a meeting for seniors at the American Legion and another one planned at the Senior Center in a couple of weeks.

 

The district also intends to have someone at town events to improve its connection with the community, Kubicki said. 

 

"I don't talk much about the Water Department because that's a department that basically runs itself. It's very well managed. There's not a whole lot of oversight that has to happen with the Water Department," he said. 

 

"So right now, the area that needs the most attention is fire and ambulance because we've gone through quite a changeover in the management of the Fire Department and then also assuming the responsibilities of the ambulance."

 

The Fire District will hold its annual election on Tuesday, May 14, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the fire station. Offices up for election are one member of the Board of Water Commissioners for three years; one member of the Prudential Committee for three years; and one moderator and one auditor, each for one year.