The Marion Fire Department has trouble contacting personnel around the Front Street area near Route 195 and close to the Rochester town line via County Road. The department requested $25,309 from the town’s Reserve Fund to pay for a communication upgrade. The Marion Finance Committee at its November 19 meeting at the Town Hall Annex requested more information before approving the transfer.
The committee, in fact, spent a good portion of the meeting asking questions about this potential transfer, which would reduce the total amount of Reserve Fund money from $65,000 to just under $40,000.
Finance authorities mentioned that this represents almost one-third of what is in the Reserve Fund. They asked questions such as whether or not the repair, which is asking for a transmit combiner, would represent a “Band-Aid” approach to the problem. They also asked how long the department has been using the system and if the capital-improvement account was initially sought out.
Committee members also questioned how long the repair would take.
“It sounds like it does need to get done and does need to get approved, but from a process standpoint we need a real-life example (of what specifically will get fixed and when),” said Finance Committee Chair Sean Healy.
Fire Chief Brian Jackvony filled out a form and described that it was a safety concern, especially considering the department loses contact with personnel in that area.
Healy and fellow Finance Committee members expressed no opposition as long as details are provided. He noted that it speaks to a larger issue, noting that Finance Committee members need more details before approving a funding transfer request in the middle of a fiscal year.
The Finance Committee also completed their liaison assignments, making each member a financial liaison to a department in town.
The committee expressed approval of the first November 24 Town Meeting article, which seeks to update the town’s stormwater-management bylaw in line with newer state and federal guidelines.
The committee made no recommendation on the second article, a Citizens’ Petition which asks for a policy that allows homeowners, at their own request, to install a secondary water-metering system for “water usage, such as lawn irrigation, gardening, feeding of livestock, swimming pools, or other non-sewer activities.”
Committee members noted that this policy has no financial implications on the town or Finance Committee-related business.
Marion Finance Committee
By Jeffrey D. Wagner