ENFIELD — After an hour of debate, Enfield residents voted overwhelmingly at Town Meeting on Saturday to abolish the fire-ward system that has overseen the fire department in town for 80 years.
The 151-16 vote means that, starting next year, the town manager, rather than the three elected fire wards, will oversee the fire department and appoint the fire chief.
“We’re proposing this because we believe that in the long term it helps us to extend the volunteer model that much further,” Town Manager Ryan Aylesworth said. “This is not being done as a slippery slope to a full-time department.”
All three fire wards were present at the meeting, but only Tim Taylor spoke.
“What a package they’re selling us,” Taylor said. “If you’re looking for a fairy tale, it’s right there. We have trouble finding volunteers.”
A consultant brought in by the town earlier this year also had suggested reorganizing the department. The report from New Hampshire-based Municipal Resources Inc. found that a majority of firefighters were concerned with a “perceived lack of communication” from the fire wards.
But issues with the fire department also were raised as Enfield was going through its strategic planning process last year. Mike Akillian, director of the Center for Strategic Governance, was at the Saturday meeting. He had helped the town and its departments develop their strategic plans, which encouraged officials to examine problems and set goals for municipal departments.
He was asked to summarize the work he had done with each department. The process found that some members of the department are undertrained and six firefighters did not respond to any calls in 2017.
“You do not have enough management structure in your fire department to provide the level of safety we think should be provided to the citizens of this community,” he said.
Several members of the fire department spoke in favor of the article, including Josh Wessells. He’s been with the fire department for 10 years.
“This is only for the betterment of the town and all of our fire and ambulance services,” he said to applause from the audience.
Along with the organizational transition, fire department members would be required to respond to a set number of calls each year.
After the discussion and vote, some residents, like Bob Cusick, wanted to establish some common ground.
“I just hope that when we’re all done we can mend the differences that have occurred between the parties,” he said. “I think this town is going to be much better off, and I really hope we can all just bury the hatchet, and not in each other’s heads.”
Voters also approved a corresponding article to appropriate $15,000 for hiring a consultant to help with the fire/ambulance department transition planning.
“This will be no small effort, and this is why outside guidance and expertise will be helpful,” Aylesworth said.
There is a possibility that, as part of the transition, the fire department and EMS department would merge. Volunteers would have the option to train as both an emergency responder and firefighter, but would not be obliged to do both.
The current fire wards would be involved with the changeover throughout the year.
“They will work with us and we will work with them to make sure it’s a smooth transition,” Selectboard member Kate Stewart said.
In other town business, voters also approved a $6.7 million municipal budget by show of hands. That’s a 3.9 percent increase from this year’s budget, but that includes payments for the Route 4A sewer extension, which is paid for by residents of the Lakeview and Shaker Landing condominium communities. Excluding the sewer costs, the budget increase is 1.75 percent.
That means the town’s tax rate will increase between 20 and 30 cents per $1,000 of a property’s assessed valuation, meaning $50 to $78 in additional taxes on a home valued at $250,000.
An article to decommission 22 streetlights passed by 11 votes. Turning the lights off could save the town more than $2,000.
But some at the meeting expressed hesitation at the idea.
“To me they do present a modicum of safety,” said Lindsay Smith, a cyclist.
The measure was advisory, and the town manager and Selectboard have ultimate authority over the lights.
Daniela Vidal Allee can be reached at dallee@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.