Fire District Budget Would Restore Items Cut Last Spring Surplus Also Allows For Purchase Of New Pumper Truck

Spokane Valley Fire District commissioners will vote next week on an $11.7 million budget that includes funding for a new fire truck, two paramedic vehicles and a handful of new firefighters.

Commissioners are expected to approve the 1998 budget following a 4 p.m. public hearing on Wednesday.

The hearing will be held at district headquarters, 10319 E. Sprague.

The proposed funding plan restores several items cut from the budget last spring. Commissioners approved nearly $500,000 in cuts last May when the district faced a temporary cash flow problem. The district’s financial situation has since improved, commissioners said.

Disability and sick leave costs have been reduced and are now within budget, Fire Chief Pat Humphries said.

Also, the district’s ending-fund balance has exceeded the hopeful prediction Humphries made last spring. The surplus has grown to $2.5 million, just under one-fourth of the total budget.

The proposed 1998 budget includes just over $300,000 for a new pumper truck, a purchase commissioners delayed last year.

The new fire truck will replace a vehicle with more than 110,000 miles.

The budget provides about $80,000 for two Suburban-type paramedic trucks. The district also will purchase four new heart monitor/ defibrillators.

The district has budgeted just under $150,000 for a new computer system and software. The current system consists mostly of 386s and is not Windows based, Humphries said.

The district also has budgeted funding for firefighter training, including hazardous waste training and confined space rescue techniques.

To keep up with increased calls and new safety standards, the district will add a handful of new firefighters to its staff in 1998.

They will include some current Valley dispatchers who have decided not to relocate to the downtown combined dispatch center when it opens next year.

The budget also includes funding for a fulltime fire educator, to be hired next fall. This person will go into schools, senior centers and community gatherings to teach people about fire safety.

Commissioner Tom Gregory said the board has worked hard over the last few months to trim excess fat from the 1998 budget.

“As a concerned taxpayer, I always feel it’s too high,” said Gregory, a fiscal conservative who was elected to his second term earlier this month.

“But we’ve tried to hold the line as much as possible, and still provide excellent fire suppression and paramedic service…”

About 53 percent of the district’s annual revenue comes from its regular maintenance and operations levy. Voters approved the 1998 levy of $6.325 million last November.

The 1999 levy will probably go to voters in February or March, Gregory said. The levy amount has not been set.

, DataTimes