Taunton budget keeps public safety funding steady, advances ladder company staffing plan

Taunton’s proposed FY2025 budget includes continued investment in public safety operations and capital. The police department’s operating request presented to the Committee of the Whole totaled $22,608,433.20; presenters said the apparent reduction noted on a slide reflected fewer employee buyouts, not reduced headcount. The administration also highlighted capital support for police vehicles and the new public-safety complex.

The fire department’s FY2025 request — presented as roughly $17 million — includes funding set aside for three fire trucks the city has ordered, plus facility repairs and a feasibility study for station upgrades. Presenters said purchases and purchase orders are locked in and that a deposit had been used to guarantee apparatus pricing.

Councilors pressed the administration about the staffing and funding pathway for establishing a ladder company. Administration officials said promotions to begin July 1 will start the ladder-company formation and that the “actual cost of those promotions” will be addressed through the supplemental budget process, allowing a phased implementation. A council motion was approved to refer ladder-company staffing to the supplemental budget for action.

Councilors also discussed the federal SAFER grant that helped fund firefighters previously and whether timing would allow another SAFER award to cover the final weeks of a current grant period; administration officials said they expect to be able to apply and that reserves and stabilization funds could temporarily cover costs if necessary.

No final changes to staffing levels were made at the Committee of the Whole; the council took police and fire budgets under advisement and directed follow-up work in the supplemental process.