Simsbury Fire District Holds Annual Meeting

Submitted release 

On May 13, 2013, the Simsbury Fire District held its Annual Town Meeting.  The agenda included a report on Fire District activities for 2012/2013 fiscal year as well as consideration of the budget for the coming 2013/2014 fiscal year. Highlights of the meeting included:

The Simsbury Fire District operated within budget. The District adhered to its long-term goal of meeting both operating and capital requirements without resorting to borrowing.

Early in the 2013/2014 budgeting process, the District actively discussed the continuing economic environment that the country and Simsbury’s taxpayers continue to face and set an objective to formulate a budget with no overall expense increase.  

The budget which was adopted overwhelmingly at the meeting represents a $43,000 increase from the prior year which is approximately 1.5 % over the prior year.   

As a consequence, the mill rate for 2013/2014 will increase from 1.03 mills to 1.22 mills, and while this increase is larger than the expense increase, the revaluation recently completed in Simsbury explains the rest of the mill rate change as the Grand List declined for the first time in many years. The adopted budget includes a $200,000 draw down from reserves to provide for the replacement of the Mechanic’s division truck lift as it can no longer handle the weight of some fire apparatus and it is failing mechanically.

The District has formed a committee to begin work on the replacement of Engines 5 and 6, both of which will be 25 years old by the time of the new equipment’s arrival in 2014.

The Fire District hosted the Annual Lt. Richard Kelleher Awards Dinner at which the 2012 service awards were presented to the department’s volunteers.  (Lt. Kelleher, aged 37, died in the line of duty fighting a fire at the Knights of Columbus Hall, next to St Mary’s Church, on November 6, 1981.)

A total of ten Firefighter service awards were presented representing 115 cumulative years, and 29,379 call outs, of volunteer service for the honored recipients. Further, four Ladies’ Auxiliary service awards were also presented representing an additional 125 years of volunteer service. Particularly notable, Lucy Bowman was awarded a fifty year service award, as well as recognition from the US Senate and CT Governor Dannel Malloy, for her extraordinary service to the community.   Simsbury can be proud to have volunteers that make this kind of commitment to the safety and protection of the community.

Officers were elected to serve for the 2013/2014 fiscal year.  Kevin North was elected President, John Solury- Vice President, Peter Pabich - Treasurer, William Ketchabaw – Clerk, and Colleen O’Connor – Tax Collector.

President North closed the meeting by thanking all of the members of the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Department for their selfless service to the community and the huge cost savings afforded Simsbury’s residents for fire protection while simultaneously achieving a high level of professionalism.

The reports and budgets presented at the meeting are posted to the Department’s website (www.simsburyfd.org) for convenient access and as a matter of public record.