The Round Table
A fire department budget is a plan prepared in anticipation of what the department will need (in resources) to operate for a definite future period in time.
As chief, do you prepare your own budget? Do you have assistance in preparing this budget? Do you have to justify it? And finally, to whom do you have to justify it?
Willard R. Dunwoody, Chief, Peekskill, N.Y.: As chief, I am responsible for the preparation of the fire department budget.
My first assistant chief is in charge of budget control. Each company officer is asked in August to prepare his house budget for the coming year. My second assistant chief is in charge of buildings and maintenance and apparatus repairs and maintenance.
Since we use the best of two budgetary systems, the encumbered and 0-based systems, we have to justify budgets with the city manager first, compete with other city departments, and lastly, get the final approval from the mayor and common council. I might add it is very difficult as we have been in a budgetary crisis for the past three years. Each requisition submitted for equipment, supplies, daily articles such as fuel, heating oils, repairs, etc. must be justified with the purchasing agent and the city manager. We receive print outs of line item purchases, balances, encumberances and balances each month. We have budget closeout and justification for previous years’ budgets during February.
Everett Brewer, Chief, Enid, Okla.: The budget is prepared by the fire chief. I have the assistance of other chief officers in the department. The budget must be justified to the city manager, who must in turn justify it to the city council.
U.D. Caswell, Chief, Winslow, Ariz.: The assistant chief and myself prepare the budget and must justify it to the mayor and city council first, and later to the taxpayers.
Len Endress, Chief, Oxford, Ohio: The budget process in our city begins with the fire chief submitting his proposed budget to the city manager and the finance director. At this stage, some items may be reduced or dropped completly. If I can justify my budget to these two people, it is then sent on to the city council where I am present, just to answer questions.
If I have properly justified my budget to the city manager, he will do the justification to the city council for me.
Floyd F. LeCuyer, Sr., Chief, Roseville, Minn.: Budget preparation for the Roseville Fire Department is a joint effort on the part of our chief officers and selected staff officers. Heads of divisions, (training, fire prevention, investigation, etc.) prepare draft budgets for their divisions and submit them to me. District chiefs also prepare budget drafts for needs within their districts, and also give them to me.
Budget meetings with chief and staff officers are then scheduled. At these meetings, the budget is streamlined according to a standard format the city has developed, and observations on justifications are discussed (we are required to justify all budget items). The task of preparing final justifications is assigned to the department’s planning and development officer.
The final draft of the budget, with justifications, is submitted to the city manager. Meetings are then held between him and myself, with division heads appearing to explain their requests. Based upon our recommendations (and his own conclusions), the city manager approves the final department budget and submits it to the city council with his recommendations. When the council meets to discuss the budget, we schedule appearances to answer questions and explain requests in depth.
E.L. Bell, Chief, Hopewell, Va.: The secretary of the department and I prepare our annual budget. We must justify it to the city manager, and in some instances, to the city council.
Patrick T. Brown, Chief, Burlington, Vt.: My fiscal budget is prepared once a year. My secretary prepares a basic budget schedule, and then I go through and estimate future expenses and anticipated projects. The budget is then prepared accordingly.
The proposed budget is then forwarded to the city treasurer and mayor. At a budget hearing, any questions they may have must be answered.
Robert L. Neiman, Chief, Longmont, Col.: As chief of the department, I prepare the budget and usually involve one other officer with the program. The training officer and fire marshal work up a program for their respective bureaus, and together we work from those programs to prepare a budget. Input is requested from all personnel in the department regarding ideas they may have.
After the preliminary budget is prepared, I meet with the city manager to justify my requests and finally meet in a work session with the city council to justify my requests.
Charles Q. Hall, Acting Chief, Merrimack, N.H.: The chief prepares his own budget. He has the assistance of the officers in charge including fire prevention, maintenance and training and secretary in charge of the office.
The budget must be justified by the budget committee, the town manager, board of selectmen (five members) and then finalized by the voters at the annual town meeting.
H. E. Calfee, Chief, Vol. Fire Department, Bridgeport, W.Va.: Myself and the president must make out the budget. We must justify it to the members of the department and the city council.
Chief Richard Swartant, Chief, Holly, Mich.: Yes, as chief I do my own budget and I must justify it to the village superintendent.
