Sun Valley trims and restores items in fire budget while keeping training funding

The Sun Valley City Council reviewed several Fire Department budget items on July 12 and adjusted capital and operating lines while maintaining the department’s training request.

Fire Chief Ray Franco told the council the City is reimbursed for wages when firefighters respond to wildland fires, which supported both deleting and then reinstating certain wildland-fire revenue and expense lines during the budget review. The council decided to reinstate funding for salaries and wages, lubricants and fuel and revenue for wildland fire responses.

Council members reduced some capital requests: they agreed to pursue purchase of an air compressor, reduce the amount requested for thermal imagers (set to $12,000 later in the meeting) and remove the request for a tank and pump for Engine 64. The council authorized replacement of air packs and set Fire Trust Account spending to $8,500. The council left the department’s training request at $31,500 but asked Chief Franco for a detailed breakdown of how that money would be spent.

Council actions were recorded as adjustments within the tentative budget; the council’s approval of the tentative budget does not finalize expenditures until after the Aug. 4 public hearing and any subsequent final adoption.