With fiscal responsibility at the top of our priority list, this year's balance sheet enables us to hire two critical positions in 2025, one Paramedic and a full-time Logistics Manager. Our budget planning process is not only overseen by the elected Board of Directors, but also by an independent Budget Committee to ensure District funds are being utilized and managed professionally. The District is audited annually by a Certified Public Accountant, trained in Government Accounting, who points out any deficiencies in financial records. 

Last fiscal year, the District came within 0.6% of our projected expense budget while still having $412,669 in contingency funds, $50,000 transferred from the general fund into the capital reserve fund to purchase new equipment needed in future years, and $283,074 in the capital outlay fund. Revenues were up 4.4% from the projected budgeted amount due to unforeseen increases in appraisal valuations, increased ambulance revenues, and grants. The District received 52% of its revenues from taxes, 36% from reimbursements for EMS/Paramedic services, and 12% from grants, contracts, and fees. 

In 2024, the District spent several million dollars on new firefighting and EMS/paramedic apparatus and equipment with bond funds approved by District voters in 2021. We put a new ladder/platform truck ($1.3M), a fire engine ($700K), three paramedic ambulances ($250K each), and two new heavy brush trucks ($125K each) into service.  The Board of Directors wisely approved to prepay for this equipment two years ago, which kept replacement vehicles and equipment costs from dramatically escalating by an average of 20% before delivery, saving the District over half a million dollars. 

The District was unable to renovate one station and replace several other key pieces of equipment as planned due to rising costs, inflation, and ongoing supply chain issues. Ideally, our equipment reserve fund would be funded at $400,000 annually. That level of reserve funding did not happen in 2024. We see our present expenses outpacing revenues because of a lack of Fire District funding from tax abatement programs like business located within approved Enterprise Zones, inflation, significant increases in employee insurance & retirement contributions, as well as increasing property, liability, and vehicle insurance costs. Despite these challenges, we remain financially mindful and responsible with our funding without sacrificing our commitment to provide professional services to our constituents. 

We applied for and received several grants in 2024 that will be implemented in the years to follow. One of these is a $6.9M grant over 3 years from the FEMA SAFER program, which will allow the District to hire an additional 16 Firefighter/Paramedics & Firefighter/EMTS to staff an additional station for the first time since 2017 with 24-hour coverage. The District is very excited to have been chosen as one of three fire districts in Oregon to implement a two-year $1.35M apprenticeship program through the Bureau of Labor and Industries, the Oregon State Fire Marshall, and the Oregon State Firefighters' Council. The program is aimed towards veterans, minorities, and those who may not have seen the fire service as a viable career opportunity. 

The Board of Directors and leadership team have been working diligently to look for additional funding in the coming years to keep these individuals employed after the three years of grant funding expires.