Essex fire officials bring their plan for a full-time chief to the Finance Committee Thursday

Essex wants to hire its first full-time fire chief. But first, the town told the Fire Department to show how it can pay for that change without a bigger budget. On Thursday, fire leaders will lay out their plan.

The Board of Fire Engineers, the group of fire officers that runs the department now, will meet with the town's Finance Committee on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. in the Second Floor Stage Conference Room at Town Hall, 30 Martin St.

The fire board's agenda says it will review "a plan to make offsets in the upcoming fiscal year 2028 budget to accommodate two weekday shifts and a new, full-time fire chief." An offset means cutting or moving money in one place to pay for something new in another. The Finance Committee's agenda calls the same item "FY28 Budget Reductions." Fiscal 2028 is the town's money year that runs from July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028.

How we got here

At a joint meeting on Sept. 28, the selectmen, the fire engineers and the Finance Committee talked about the department's plan. It wants a full-time chief plus two people on duty for each weekday shift. Officials said that plan would leave the department about $50,000 short in fiscal 2028.

Finance Committee members said the money has to come from inside the fire and ambulance budgets, not from a bigger budget. If it cannot be found, they said, the two-person weekday shifts would not happen. Read our story on the $50,000 question.

At the selectmen's Oct. 5 meeting, fire officials said they had found ways to make the numbers work. They said they expected to give a final answer by Oct. 19. The fire engineers also posted their own meeting for this morning, Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7 a.m. at the Public Safety Building, 11 John Wise Ave. One item on that agenda is to "review the plan to re-allocate 50K to support the firefighter shift." Thursday's meeting is the first public look at the plan with the Finance Committee. The agendas do not list the cuts, so we will report what is proposed after the meeting.

Why it matters

Essex has a call fire department, not a full-time one. Some firefighters are paid to be ready at night. A full-time chief would be a big change in how the department is run.

Voters still have the final say. Fall town meeting in November will vote on switching to a chief picked by the selectmen. The town hopes to have that chief start Feb. 1. Read how Essex plans to choose its chief.

Also on the Finance Committee's list

• money moved between lines in this year's budget
• the new Essex Elementary School building project
• the fall town meeting warrant and its money summary
• getting ready for a joint meeting with the Board of Public Works and the selectmen

How to take part

The meeting is open to the public. You can also listen by phone at (605) 475-4350, code 677428#. Callers are muted. The chairman decides whether to take public comment.

If you have a question about the plan, you can contact the Finance Committee or the selectmen through the town website before the meeting.