Fire department hoping for new public safety building and new pickup truck
Mar 09, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Paradis Ace Hardware.
TREMONT—For the second year in a row, the Tremont Volunteer Fire Department again asked the Tremont Select Board for a new pickup truck for the fire department at its March 2 meeting.
That request was quickly put on hold until the select board had more accurate financial numbers for the proposed new public safety building. The board is hoping that will occur at its meeting tonight, March 9, when representatives from Hedefine Engineering and Design and Design Group Collaborative, the two consulting companies working with the town thus far, will be present to go over plans and answer questions in an attempt to lower the estimated build cost of $7.7-$9.5 million.
The Public Safety Building Committee is planning on applying for a grant that would hopefully pay for the majority of the project and the town needs to have a rough idea of what it will have to contribute in build funds so that it can bring that amount forward to voters in March.
In the meantime, while potentially asking Tremont voters to approve a bond of potentially $2 million for a new public safety building this spring, the select board is trying to keep the property tax commitment increase to 0% for the upcoming budget year via the use of surplus funds.
GENERAL BUDGET
Town Manager Jesse Dunbar presented the select board with budget items that were expected to increase by $5,000 or more this upcoming fiscal year. Some of those items include the following.
- Wages.
- Health insurance.
- Retirement benefit contributions and social security contributions.
- Attorneys fees.
- Fire department budget.
- Ambulance sevice.
- Police coverage.
Dunbar said, with all of the proposed increases in this initial budget, “the total municipal budget is $2,984,181. After subtracting the non-property tax revenue of $1,333,207 the property taxes needed for the municipal budget would be $1,650,974. This is an increase of $131,449 over last year.”
While no vote was taken on using surplus funds to cover the $131,449 increase at the March 2 meeting, that would be the select board’s goal so that taxpayers see a 0% increase according to Dunbar.
This year, the surplus fund will be gaining $96,903, bringing the surplus fund balance to $1,387,739. The town’s surplus has increased each year, despite using surplus funds to offset increases to the taxpayer.
Surplus funds have been used the past three years to offset tax increases in the following amounts.
- FY 2025/26 $116,000.
- FY 2024/25 $195,000.
- FY 2023/24 $129,000.
Fire Chief Keith Higgins questioned some of the wage increases as being well above a cost of living increase.
Select board members responded that they felt that they had to raise some of the wages to be competitive with neighboring towns so that they could keep the good employees that they have and attract good candidates when necessary.
Assistant Fire Chief and Tremont Animal Control Officer Heath Higgins questioned the town being able to have these wage increases while not being able to purchase a new pickup truck for the fire department.
Chair Jamie Thurlow responded that the fire department is talking about possibly a couple of million dollars for the new public safety building and the select board just wants to wait until those numbers are dialed in a bit more before making a decision on the truck.
FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET
The proposed fire department budget has an increase of $10,688 or 7.1% over last year bringing the total budget to $161,356.
The possible purchasing of a new pickup truck sparked some conversation and questions.
At a March 2025 select board meeting, Dunbar explained to the select board that a quote from Ford Leasing for a $62,000 truck at an interest rate of 8.98% for five years was $15,437 per year.
Dunbar had also sought out a financing quote from a local lender who made the quote for $65,000, just to be safe, and at a much lower interest rate of 5.08% for five years, it was $14,522 per year.
Vice Chair McKenzie Jewett asked, “What’s wrong with the other one?”
“The fire department has identified it as needing replacement,” answered Chief Higgins.
“Why?” asked Jewett.
Chief Higgins responded, “It’s 12 or 14 years old and doesn’t have a lot of the modern safety features.”
Chief Higgins asked if the town should wait until its twenty or 25 years old, saying that each year, the truck’s value depreciates.
Thurlow said, “If you are trying to sell this new building, I would hit the brakes on this if I were you.”
“So, my two cents on this, I hate turning in a truck with 20,000 miles, but on the other hand, if we kick it down the road, next year, the year after, and so on, this budget’s going to be a lot higher than when we start adding in that other truck and the fire station. So, then it’s, I think it would just get kicked down the road too much in a way where it wouldn’t ever happen. That’s my only concern,” said member Eric Eaton.
“You’re asking your taxpayers, in three months, to cough up however many millions to match with this grant for the fire department,” said Thurlow. “I think that’s a pretty big hit right there. That’s why I don’t think it’s the best time.”
Thurlow said that he would rather have the discussion regarding the public safety building first and have a better understanding of what those amounts for the new building would be.
The select board unanimously passed the fire department’s base budget of $161,356.
BUDGET PREPARATION
The select board voted to tentatively accept the wharf fund, harbor fund, and the Seal Cove fund.
The harbor fund shows a reduction in revenue of $6,800 because the revenue for the 68 moorings in Seal Cove has traditionally been placed into the harbor fund but will now be redirected into the Seal Cove fund so that it can bee used for Seal Cove relayed expenditures.
PACIFIC HALL RESERVE
Last year the voters of Tremont voted to return Pacific Hall to its previous owner, Morgan Churchman, who had donated it to the town, but the town could not find a use for it. The Pacific Hall reserve fund still carries a balance of $8,026.
The select board decided that it would ask voters to move that $8,026 to the town’s general fund.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
The select board held two public hearings and approved to licenses for the Seal Cove Auto Museum’s speakeasy fundraising event to be held March 28. One license was a liquor license and the second was a game of chance license.
Both license were unanimously approved.
The next meeting of the Tremont Select Board will be held tonight, March 9, at 5 p.m., in the Harvey Kelley Meeting Room at the town office.
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