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Article 21 asks the community to hire 10 more full-time fire fighters. The conservative estimate of the cost for 10 full-time firefighters is $557,335. That means a $60 increase in the average homeowner’s tax bill just for this portion of the departments service.
That $60 tax increase doesn’t include the expected increases in the fire department’s $2 million operating budget, increases in the Department of Public Works budget, the police budget, the road program, future warrant articles, the school budget
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What the department lacks even more than manpower is good leadership and management. The lack of leadership over the past few years, has allowed what should have been a quiet discussion over the department’s future needs to become a public brawl that has not helped the department one bit.
Through it all the BoS has listened and responded to the needs of the community. 24/7 ambulance service was provided in 2004.
Last year, the BoS created a new firefighter position and the first class of “per diem” firefighters completed their training in early February, another class is planned for this fall. The cost of the BoS program is less then $100,000.
While this is an emotional issue, decisions made in the heat of the moment are often the ones we regret the most. Please vote no on Article 21.
Eric Geissenhainer
Member of the fire committee and budget committee
Goffstown
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