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As we review the comments about Article 21, we begin to wonder where people get their “facts” and are concerned that they are missing the point. There have been comments in the press and in various flyers that appear to be crafted in such a way that distorts the real facts and creates voter confusion.
We would like to take this opportunity to speak to several of these comments and provide the facts.
To start, there is a concern of a fire department budget reaching $2.7 million. The fact is that the Fire Department budget has basically remained the same since the approval of the 2005 fiscal year budget. The 2006 budget was held in line with the 2005 budget. This year, the Budget Committee chose to level fund the bottom line of the Fire Department’s 2007 budget. This level funding has brought no increase to the tax burden of Goffstown taxpayers.
The next topic seems to be the tax impact Article 21 this year. The presented cost of Article 21 has been called a “conservative estimate” of the actual costs. The fact is that when the Fire / EMS Study Committee looked into reallocating existing budget lines within the current (2006) Fire Department budget, they were conservative in the cuts that were made, not in determining the costs of the program. It has been stated that the resulting impact is $60 per home. This is correct, to a point. You should know that if your home is evaluated (tax evaluation not market value) at $250,000 the tax impact is $60. According to the Town Finance Office and the Fire / EMS Study Committee report, the impact is 24 cents per $1,000 evaluation. So, if your evaluation is $100,000, Article 21 will cost you $24, a reasonable price to assure reliable fire and ambulance response around the clock.
It has been pointed out that the Board of Selectmen has listened and responded to the needs of the community. With regard to Article 21, this is true. The Selectmen wrote Article 21 and moved it to the ballot in response to the voters’ demand that the Board put together a plan for 24 hour a day / seven day a week fire and EMS coverage for the voter’s consideration.
We have heard that the decision to move toward 24/7 coverage was made “in the heat of the moment” and under “emotionally charged” circumstances. The fact is that several Goffstown committees and groups have studied 24/7 fire and EMS coverage over the over the last 5 years. Hundreds of man-hours have been put into research, analysis, comparison, and review prior to drafting this year’s Article 21 and placing it on the ballot.
We have read an opinion that Goffstown needs to look into other options such as Mutual Aid, seeking perhaps to take advantage of the close proximity of the City of Manchester. Consider the fact that Manchester has more schools, a larger Public Works Department, and a larger Police Force than Goffstown. Do we ask the City of Manchester to provide those services to the Town of Goffstown? The obvious answer is of course not. With this in mind, is it fair that we might expect the City of Manchester to provide our Fire and EMS services? No it isn’t. It is important to understand that mutual aid is a plan designed to allow fire departments to obtain addition help on isolated or labor-intensive incidents, it is not a means to provide day to day emergency services. To answer directly if the Department has looked into the use of Mutual Aid, you should know that the Goffstown Fire Department is already active in several Mutual Aid agreements with surrounding communities, including Manchester.
A recently published comment stated that “the department wants to provide better protection…” and “the taxpayers are the only source of funding.” Though it is true that the Fire Department and it’s members do want to provide the best service possible for our community, Article 21 is what the voters asked of the selectmen when they directed that Board to provide a plan for 24/7. This is the Selectmen’s plan and both the Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee have recommended this plan. The Selectmen’s plan is based on the details presented by the Fire and EMS Study Committee report and does include the use of funds other than taxes. These funds are from the EMS special revenue account that is money earned by the Fire Department through its services.
Other sources of revenue discussed in various writings refer to grants. Goffstown fire Department has applied for and received several grants over the last few years. These grants have helped offset the costs of updating and replacing vital equipment for the Department. The Department plans to continue its search for grant money.
There has been a great deal written and spoken about the Fire Department. It is obvious that the Fire Department has been in the public eye for the last couple of years. We feel that the good side of all this publicity is that it given our residents the opportunity to learn more about their fire department and the services it provides to our community.
In closing, we would like you to know that both the Fire Department Administration and the Professional Firefighter’s Local join the Board of Selectmen, the Budget Committee, and Fire / EMS Study Committee in recommending Article 21.
We hope to see you at the Polls on Tuesday.
Sincerely,
Acting Fire Chief Mark Hurley
Goffstown taxpayer, resident, and registered voter
and
Bill Connor, President of the Professional Firefighters of Goffstown
Goffstown taxpayer, resident, and registered voter
e-mail: k1gfd@aol.com
SEE ALSO:
March 7, 2007 - LETTER TO THE EDITOR
By Eric Geissenhainer
Difficult
choices must be made, please vote no on Article 21
March 1, 2007
- LETTER TO THE GOFFSTOWN NEWS
By Eric Geissenhainer
Adding
firefighters would raise average tax bill by $60
March 1, 2007 - MEMBER
EDITORIAL
By Bill Connor
Support
Article 21
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