Rural fire department contract still under negotiation; legal review pending

Chair (S1) asked staff for the status of the rural fire department contract. Staff (S5) said negotiations are ongoing and that the town is "waiting for the opinion from the attorneys, but they realize that's a top priority." S5 advised that the town and the department had built budgets based on contract wording and that, if necessary, a budget amendment could be used later to align appropriations with the final contract.

Councilors discussed what happens if the parties cannot reach agreement and confirmed the budget could be amended later; staff said both sides built their budgets on the contract language and recommended completing the legal review and returning with finalized terms before adopting the budget.