Reserves boosted, budget balanced in Menlo Park fire district Reserves boosted, budget balanced in Menlo Park fire district (August 04, 2004)

By Renee Batti
Almanac News Editor

As if the state's funding cutbacks over the last few years haven't made balancing the budget hard enough, members of the local fire district board have given themselves a new challenge for this and future fiscal years: The district, they decided, must keep a reserve of at least 50 percent of its operating budget.

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District Board approved the new reserve requirement at its July 20 meeting, just before signing off on an $18.5 million budget for fiscal year 2004-05, which began July 1.

Faced with increased expenses, particularly pension costs, and threatened state take-aways of property tax revenue, the district had to jump through a few hoops to balance this year's budget. But the task was made easier by getting an early start: Cost-cutting measures last fiscal year brought the final expenditure tally down about $1.5 million under the budgeted amount of $18.5 million, according to Fire Chief Paul Wilson.

The balancing act for this fiscal year also required specific cuts, including:

** Taking one fire truck, known as a pumper truck, out of service 180 days a year from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

** Eliminating 3-1/2 full-time positions.

** Reducing overtime, services and supplies.

No one will be laid off; the eliminated positions -- one division chief spot and 2-1/2 firefighter positions -- are vacant, and will not be filled.

Before the cutback, each of the district's fire stations was equipped with a pumper truck. By taking one out of service overnight means that emergencies occurring near the affected station will be answered by a ladder truck, which cannot handle water. In the case of a fire near the affected station, pumper trucks will have to be called from other fire stations, farther away.

The reserve

Chief Wilson and his staff had crafted the preliminary budget before the new policy on the reserve was recommended by a finance subcommittee of the board. The budget's reserve was therefore about $500,000 short of the required 50 percent, Chief Wilson said.

But included in the budget plan as an expenditure was $719,000 -- the amount of property taxes the district had been warned might be withheld by the state to balance its own budget.

Chief Wilson said last week he's fairly certain that the new state budget, signed by the governor July 31, spares the state's fire districts from the threatened cuts, and that means the money can be used to bump up the reserve to the required amount -- with a bit to spare.

With the additional money, Chief Wilson added, it might be possible to return the pumper truck to service full-time. He said the board is likely to discuss such a possibility when it meets on Tuesday, August 10.

The board also plans to decide at that meeting whether to ask voters for permission to create a special fire suppression district to raise revenue and avoid cutbacks to service during economic hard times.

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