Balancing the costs of labor, vehicles and facilities proved to be a challenge for the Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue Board of Fire Commissioners as they worked on their draft budget this week.
“To be healthy, I think we would probably have to fund $500,000 to $750,000 a year into capital, apparatus and facilities • this just isn’t in the cards right now,” said Fire Chief Scott Weninger.
CKF&R’s budget has been affected by declining assessed valuation and it has been using reserve funds to make ends meet.
“We do have some tough choices to make,” he said.
The $16 million draft budget breaks down as: $13.5 million for personnel costs, $1.1 million for services and supplies, $243,384 for capital outlay, $395,239 for repair and maintenance, $200,453 for training and $648,473 for contracts and leases.
The options the board looked at included cutting expenses, increasing revenue by asking voters to approve a maintenance and operations levy, or by spending reserves.
“Spending reserves is a cycle that we’ve been in for some time and it’s not sustainable long-term. We’ve got a couple more years left of dipping into reserves and then we’re going to have to do something dramatically different,” Weninger said.
Board Chair Dave Fergus compared running a fire and rescue department to managing a home checking account.
“Over the long term, revenue equals expenses. Money in equals money out. That’s the only way that we can be sustainable over the long haul,” Fergus said.
Commissioner Ralph Rogers responded, “And to get to that point, though, Dave, you’re talking about jobs. That’s the only other place you can cut that much money. Are you willing to do that? That’s a question you’ve got to ask yourself.”
Rogers and fellow commissioner Dick West favored keeping the number of firefighters constant at 77 for now.
One of the maintenance issues is the need to repaint buildings.
“We have not been consistent at painting our buildings,” Weninger said. “They’re starting to decay.”
Weninger said he was “flabbergasted” by the cost of painting quotes he received. He said it may be less expensive to hire their own painter for two to three years.
Also, the board unanimously approved spending $65,000 for a new Shoretel phone system to replace its 12-year-old Cisco phone system which CKF&R said was in poor condition. Silverdale Water District, which is located in the fire district’s administrative building, would also use the phones. Rogers questioned the purchase before voting.
“Here we go, spending that money we don’t have,” Rogers said.
He asked if the system could be downsized a little.
