Harrison Thorp
Wednesday, March 23, 2016 6:49 am
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LEBANON - If the Budget Committee's overwhelming rejection of a $451,000 budget proposed by Lebanon Fire and EMS is any indication, Referendum 8 could be tops among talking points at this year's Public Hearing scheduled for April 30.
While taxpayers last year voted to separate the town's two first-responder entities and OK'd budgets that included funding of per diem and on-call responders for both fire and rescue, new Fire and EMS Chief Dan Meehan opted to only install those positions on the Rescue side, utilizing some cross-training of personnel to expedite fire calls as well.
However, with both fire and rescue budgets including about $100,000 for per diem and on-call staffing, and only one department, EMS, in fact, using them, this year's budget request is exactly the same as last year's two budgets combined.
Last week the Budget Committee roundly rejected this year's budget request, 7-0. Voting against the measure were Sean Bright, Blaine "Skip" Wood, Bettie Harris-Howard, Laura Bragg, Nancy Neubert, Judy Churchard, Chris Gilpatrick. Budget Committee chair Jeri Basko and Corinna Cole abstained.
Meehan, asked for comment on Tuesday regarding the vote, indicated in an email he was taken aback.
"I am surprised by the vote and only 2 abstained," he wrote. "I kept the budget the same as last year (I gave up the EMA budget) which passed and the committee voted it down this year."
Meehan denied The Lebanon Voice's request for a phone interview and refused further comment on the nonuse of the Fire side's $100,000. He also did not immediately respond to the possibility of his becoming a full-time Fire and EMS chief in Lebanon.
Basko declined any comment on the vote.