Fire chief and finance director report: staffing steady, call volumes, capital projects and stronger-than-expected motor vehicle revenue

At the May 5 Bow Town meeting the fire chief and finance director gave departmental updates that outlined service demand, capital procurement timelines and present municipal finances.

Fire chief update: The chief told the board the department "is fully staffed" and said the crew has been performing well amid industry-wide hiring challenges. He gave a year‑to‑date service count of 323 calls and said roughly 60% of calls are medical in nature; the most recent month included about 80 calls. He reported no major incidents in the period and said crews had performed work that likely "saved lives," but noted patient‑specific details cannot be shared because of legal limits. On apparatus procurement, the chief said a new engine order has a projected delivery around September 2027 and that an ambulance order required a vendor change after a vendor 'vanished'; the new ambulance build is expected to take about 2½ years.

Finance director report: Cheryl, the finance director, presented the quarterly overview and said overall revenues were slightly above estimates. Motor vehicle receipts are expected to exceed their year estimate, and interest on deposits is at about 102% of projected levels. She reported recycling costs at a quarterly average of $130.29 per ton and municipal pump gasoline and diesel rates at approximately $3.6568 and $4.07 per gallon, respectively. Property tax collection rates were described as strong (current collection about 96%; earlier years reported above 98–99%), and the recreation revolving fund balance stood at $789,873 (camp expenses not yet disbursed).

Why it matters: The fire chief’s staffing and call-volume figures indicate operational stability for emergency services while procurement timelines underscore multi-year capital planning for apparatus. The finance report suggests near-term fiscal stability driven by stronger-than-expected motor-vehicle receipts and interest income, while recycling and fuel-cost trends are being monitored for impacts on future budgets.

Next steps: The fire chief and finance director will continue departmental monitoring and return with updates as procurement milestones or budget changes develop. The chief and finance director took questions from board members during the meeting; no policy actions were taken immediately as a result of these reports.