Lake Norman Publications

Huntersville puts target on fire department funding



Hourly pay raises for firefighters and officers are slated for the Huntersville Fire Department. /Lee Sullivan

HUNTERSVILLE – The town board’s second round of budget talks included a majority endorsement for more fire services expenditures, a mix of opinions about staff pay hikes and an agreement there’s no need yet to set aside funds to finance a new town hall.

At the board’s May 11 session – following answers and explanations related to 124 commissioner questions – the conversation zeroed in on a handful of topics in the general operations budget that, if changes suggested by the majority of board members are made, would come in just below $51 million (special revenue and enterprise funds push the total budget above $80 million).

Fire department spending

In his original recommendation, Roberts factored in an additional $382,867 for the Huntersville Fire Department in Fiscal Year 2021 to provide hourly pay raises for firefighters and officers, as well as half the money requested for adding a command position Chief Jim Dotoli has requested for three years.

In those previous requests, Dotoli said the new incident command position would enable the department to have a clearly designated commanding officer on duty 24-hours a day.

During Monday’s review, four of six commissioners backed the idea of providing $91,500 more to cover all costs for the full-time command post.

“It’s probably time, “Commissioner
Melinda Bales said about funding the position. Commissioners Brian Hines, Lance Munger and Nick Walsh agreed.

“I know it’s something the chief has been looking for,” Hines said. “I say go ahead and put that on the payroll, and if we’re going to do it, let’s go big.”

“Let’s go all the way with it,” Munger added.

But Commissioner Dan Boone, citing COVID-19 financial uncertainties, opposed the increase and said he’d rather stay with the half-funding in Roberts’ proposal.

“I don’t think we can afford it,” Boone said about the extra “$91,000 of taxpayer money.”

Commissioner Stacy Phillips also hesitated on the additional funding, saying she wanted to gauge public response before making a decision.

Cost-of-living debate

Views also varied about pay raises for town employees. Roberts’ proposal included a 4-percent cost-of-living increase for town staff.

Mayor John Aneralla kicked off the discussion by saying he was watching what other communities were considering and acknowledging, “We’re all in unchartered territory” in terms of COVID-19 financial impacts. He advised a step back in pay adjustments.

“I think we should be very prudent in setting salaries,” he said.

Boone was more specific.

“I’m nowhere close to 4 percent,” he said. “We’re going to have to cut all we can. I can’t support any increase above 2 percent.”

Hines – joining other board members in praising staff members as “our biggest asset”  – said he also opposed a 4-percent hike, but wasn’t sure yet what level he could support.

“I can’t go to 4,” he said. “I don’t know where I’ll land at this point.”

Walsh and Munger shared different perspectives, endorsing Roberts’ plan and, in Munger’s case, lobbying for more.

“We need to do everything we can to protect those assets,” Munger said, describing a 4-percent increase as “an absolute minimum.”

Bales and Phillips both said unemployment data will help shape their decision, with Bales admitting she was “almost good at 4,” while Phillips said she was leaning more toward Boone’s perspective.

After the discussion, Roberts said he would include a 3-percent increase in a revised package due for discussion May 18.

Based on the comments that followed – “Three is too high,” Aneralla said, with Munger countering “Three is way too low” – there’s more debate to come.

Commissioners did agree to hold off on designating $650,000 in the budget for potential debt payment on a new town hall, seeking a clearer picture of future plans before funds are assigned. 

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