By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Two of the town’s largest Fiscal Year 2025 budgets got the Town Council’s endorsement last night. The Fire Department and Public Works budgets will eventually go before the voters at the April 29 Annual Town Meeting.
Town Accountant Kevin Gill presented the numbers for the Fire Department budget, with Fire Chief Michael Sullivan and Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Purcell alongside to provide context and answer questions.
The $7,466,154 FY25 Fire Department budget includes an increase of $748,637. Gill noted that most of the increase was in the personal services line item, reflecting contractual raises and the fact that the “SAFER” grant has come to an end.
Sullivan explained that the SAFER grant had allowed the department to add four new firefighters several years ago, but there was always the understanding that when the grant ended the town would need to pick up the cost of those salaries and benefits.
Sullivan also discussed the fact that Fire Department responses have increased significantly in the last several years, coinciding with the construction and occupation of large residential complexes around town. He said that the total number of responses (including medical aid) has gone up by about 10 percent over that time.
Purcell added that the average length of time on scene for each call has also increased. He said that the newer mixed-use structures with retail on the ground floor and residential units above can be especially challenging.
Purcell said that the average response time for a call is 2 minutes and 50 seconds, but both he and Sullivan noted that reaching the more remote areas of town, like Audubon Road, can take as long as 6-8 minutes.
Town Councilor Edward Dombroski expressed concern about the town’s population growth and maintaining sufficient public safety resources to handle that growth. He wondered if there was a need for more apparatus on the West Side. Sullivan said that he was more concerned with areas along Salem Street in Montrose, where there has also been a lot of new development.
There was also some discussion of the age of the Fire Department’s fleet of engines. Councilor Michael McLane asked about the condition of the town’s roads and the impact that it can have on fire trucks. Sullivan acknowledged that road conditions affect fire apparatus as much if not more than other vehicles due to the heavy loads they carry.
The Town Council voted unanimously to approve the Fire Department budget.
DPW Director Joseph Conway and Business Manager Ann Waitt were on hand for the Public Works Department budget discussion.
Gill teed things up by presenting the numbers. He noted that the DPW operating budget was increased $281,489 (3.9 percent) for FY25. The total operating budget request is $7,252,058.
The Snow and Ice budget request was level-funded at $850,000.
The FY25 budget request for the Water Division was $7,470,570, including an increase of $$240,855. The Sewer Division budget was increased by $22,216 for a total of $9,367,204.
The Finance Committee’s DPW liaison James Sullivan endorsed the DPW budgets. “They spend money very wisely,” he observed.
The Town Council voted unanimously to approve the DPW operating budget, the Water and Sewer budgets and the Snow and Ice budget.
The board also discussed several Public Works-related Town Meeting articles.
The annual Refuse, Recycling and Yard Waste budget was approved at $2,456,958 as was the annual Eminent Domain article ($1).
The Town Council also approved an article that would authorize the town to borrow $5 million for water main replacement.
They also endorsed another Town Meeting article seeking $150,000 to design a new fueling island to replace the one at the DPW yard on North Avenue where town vehicles are refueled. Conway said that, while the equipment and tanks are in good shape, the system is coming to the end of its 30-year expected lifespan and will need to be replaced. He said that one option under consideration is moving the fuel pumps to the Nahant Street Yard Waste Facility.