Shall the Town of Hampton vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $309,573 for the purpose of employing four (4) additional full-time Firefighters for the Hampton Fire Rescue Department, over and above existing positions funded by the 2022 operating budget, starting on April 1, 2022, and for the balance of 2022, with the estimated full year cost in 2023 of these full-time positions being $412,764, including salary and benefits, and all future costs to be included in the Hampton Fire Rescue Department’s annual budget and the default budget going forward? (Majority vote required)
What it means: The Fire Department is asking for 4 additional Firefighters to be added to the roster. The Article is asking for this to be ongoing, with future year salaries and benefits being included in the Operating Budget. This request is being put before the voters as a separate item, as opposed to including it in the Operating Budget.
Those in favor say:
• The reason for requesting 4 Firefighters is that we have 4 shifts for round-the-clock coverage (24/7). The number equates to one additional Firefighter per shift.
• An independent panel of nationally-recognized fire experts was brought in last year to review the Hampton Fire Department, and one of their recommendations was that we need to increase staffing.
• In the past 30 years, the year-round population of Hampton has increased 32%, the number of structures are up 38% and the number of emergency medical calls have doubled. In that same period, the Full-Time equivalent personnel (responding personnel as well as headquarters-based) of the Fire Department is up slightly at about 7%.
• While Hampton’s year-round population is around 16,000, the estimated “nice weather” population is about 100,000. That’s a huge increase, and it is not efficient to serve those needs without proper staffing.
• Over the years, countless additional streets have been added with many new homes. These homes have contributed to both the demand for emergency services, and to the taxable valuation. The 2020 taxable base is $3.76 Billion , up 182% versus the $1.33 Billion in 1990 (includes new homes and escalating valuations on existing homes).
• In the beach district there are now multi-story, multiple-family condominiums where there once were single story, seasonal cottages in the same footprint. These properties do not reflect an increase in the population for Hampton because many of these properties serve as second homes or short-term rental properties. But nonetheless, they add to the demand for emergency services, and present a significant fire hazard due to the tightly knit construction with very limited geographical access. Manpower is always important, but more so when there are more lives that may require search and rescue in a given emergency event.
• There is a federal grant (SAFER) available and the Fire Department has completed and submitted the application. If successful, Hampton will have 100% mitigation of wages and benefits in the first 3 years.
• Increased staffing will allow for better response times to emergencies. The Fire Department will be able to assemble an adequate number of Firefighters on scene in an appropriate amount of time. When a call comes in for help, time is everything. Mutual Aid is invaluable, but it is often not as timely as needed.
• Important elements in limiting the spread of fire are the quick arrival of sufficient personnel and equipment to attack and extinguish the fire as close to the point of its origin as possible. These are things to consider when you vote on March 8th.
Fiscal impact:
A property valued at $400,000 would see a tax increase of $32.00 if this Article passes. Using 2022 valuations for the tax base, there would be an increase of $42.67 in 2023, which would be the full year value. In subsequent years, the compensation for these Firefighters would be included in the Operating Budget. To calculate the effect on your own property, use .08 times your valuation divided by 1,000 in 2022 and .1067 in 2023. Note that Hampton has a strong chance of getting a SAFER grant, which would provide 100% coverage of wages and benefits for the first 3 years. If that is the case, the full tax impact would not be felt until 2025.