The Oct. 22 meeting for the Hudson Board of Selectmen saw its members prepare for the upcoming budget season with a discussion on what the town would be willing to cover regarding requests from the Fire and Police Departments amidst pressure to minimize overall spending. According to Selectmen Chair, Bob Guessferd, items of significance included a new HVAC system for Hudson Fire Department’s Central Station.
The HVAC system was deemed a high priority for the Fire Department, with an acknowledgment from the Board of Selectmen that it would be expensive when the town was trying to limit spending increases.
“What I’m suggesting for that one is that half of it come out of the building emergency repair fund,” said Roy.
Her proposal would take $100,000 from the operating budget and $100,000 from the repair fund to repair and replace Central Station’s HVAC system, something the Board agreed should not be deferred, even though it was the Fire Department’s most expensive request.
The idea was to take some of the burden off taxpayers without depleting that fund. Fire Chief, Scott Tice, stated that the system was already suffering “some failures” as he went over a few other crucial items for the Fire Department.
“Looking at the budget, we don’t have a whole lot of money in there for a replacement hose or replacement tools at all,” said Tice. “Number one was the computer aided dispatch.”
Vice-Chair, Dillon Dumont, noted that requests for a replacement hose have come up more than once over the past few years, while several members emphasized the importance of a computer dispatch system.
Lower priority was floor drain repair and floor resurfacing at the fire station, which Tice warned were currently trip hazards.
“Once they remove and replace the floor drains, it’s going to tear up the floor and they’re going to have to resurface it anyway, correct?” asked Selectman, David Morin.
The Fire Chief confirmed that would be the case and described the two maintenance items as more or less one project, despite being listed as two separate items on the budget. The drains and flooring represented a $44,000 request.
While the Board of Selectmen expressed a willingness to cover several requested items, including HVAC and floor maintenance, Dumont warned the town was not in a position to cover every item requested by the Fire Department. It was unlikely the $19,974 request for a new truck would make it into the final budget, although there was talk of making it a priority next year.
“Trust me, I appreciate where you guys are at trying to balance,” said Tice. “We don’t want to create a budget that can’t pass.”
Guessferd warned of “hard decisions” the Board would need to make for the sake of affordability.
