The town of Westlake’s proposed fiscal year 2024-25 budget is expected to include additional funding for the town’s Fire-EMS department, according to a staff presentation from a recent workshop meeting.

The overview

Finance director Cayce Lay Lamas reviewed the proposed budget’s current status and any service-level adjustment requests by the town and Westlake Academy during a July 19 budget worksop meeting. Council members are scheduled to discuss the budget two more times during worksessions in August.

Officials expect to post a public hearing notice about the proposed budget and tax rate in September before town council members take action.

The proposed budget will include funds for hiring three additional firefighters, replacing a fire engine vehicle and adjusting firefighter pay to be more competitive with surrounding cities, according to the presentation. The adjustments are coming at a time when the Fire-EMS department is facing hiring challenges amidst town growth, according to officials.

Breaking down the budget

The proposed budget is made up of two separate funds.

• General fund
• Utility fund

General fund expenditures are expected to increase while revenue is projected to fall, according to the presentation. Revenue and expenditures in the utility fund are expected to decrease. Both funds are balanced with more than $1.1 million projected to be added to the town’s fund balance.

More details

The town is requesting several service-level adjustments totaling nearly $1.9 million. Adjustments include:

• Two full-time employee positions for the Public Works department
• A new vacuum trailer
• Three additional firefighter positions
• Replacement of a fire engine vehicle

The budget also proposes about a 2% raise for town staff and Westlake Academy staff. About $224,000 is bookmarked for adjusting firefighter pay to be closer to the median pay of surrounding cities, Lamas said.

“The adjustments for fire specifically will put them at the median in our five touching, surrounding cities,” she said.

Why it matters

The Westlake Fire-EMS department has one fire engine vehicle in reserve that’s about 21 years old, Fire Chief John Ard said. A fire engine’s average lifespan is 20-25 years old and they take about three to four years to replace, he said.

“We know that it would be appropriate to be preparing for that purchase,” Ard said.

The service-level adjustments are being requested by the town after Ard delivered a department update during a June 17 town council meeting. During that update, Ard identified a critical need for additional firefighters, a new fire engine vehicle and a more competitive salary for firefighters.

The additional firefighters are going to be critical for the department to provide a better service to the community, Ard said. It enables the department to better staff its fire engine when responding to calls.

A more competitive salary will also help the department attract and retain employees, which will save money, he said.

“I think with a more stable environment of folks, we won’t have attrition [and] we’ll also save money there,” he said.