Derby Fire Department Commissioner Gary Parker.
DERBY – Although he didn’t know about the statement until it was published, Derby Fire Commissioner Gary Parker apologized to the members of the Derby tax board Tuesday (March 11) for a post on the fire department’s Facebook page last week that went Valley viral.
“I apologize to you all for being dragged into that. You were not involved. You had no idea what was going on,” Parker said during a meeting of the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation (tax board).
Parker was talking about a Derby Fire Department Facebook post from March 7 that was shared 215 times and garnered more than 100 comments. Click here for a previous story.
The post criticized the city for not moving quickly enough to transfer money so that the brakes could be fixed on the ladder truck housed at Paugassett Hook & Ladder Co. #4.
“I know being on the tax board is a volunteer position but they were elected by the citizens. The fire department is also volunteer and we always show up!” the post concluded.
The post was not attributed to a specific member of the department but opens with “We, the Derby Fire Department.”
(Note: there were different versions of the post, including one posted to a Facebook community page that started with “I really hope the Tax board actually has a meeting this coming Tuesday and doesn’t get canceled!”)
The ladder truck was placed out of service Feb. 16.
Tax board meetings scheduled for Feb. 25 and March 4 were canceled, frustrating some firefighters.
Derby Republican Party leader Gino DiGiovannni, Jr. released his own statement last week reacting to the fire department’s post, noting the tax board had canceled six of 11 meetings.
Derby Finance Director Brian Hall addressed the Facebook controversies at Tuesday’s tax board meeting.
He said the tax board is scheduled to meet every week during budget season. However, he said meetings are canceled if there is no business to discuss.
“There were no items on an agenda for the fourth (of March), so the meeting was canceled,” Hall said. “The decision to cancel the meeting wasn’t made by BOAT, the mayor or anyone else in the administration. The decision to cancel the meeting was made by me because there were no items presented to me by any of the commissioners or any of the directors that needed to be addressed on the fourth.”
Hall said in February he and Parker had scheduled March 11 as the day for Parker to get approvals to transfer money and to present his proposed fire department budget for 2025 – 2026.
Hall said he did not know the ladder truck had been taken out of service.
“I was not given any impression at the time by the fire commissioner that a meeting of the board on March 4 was urgently needed,” Hall said.
Parker backed up Hall’s statement and said any delay was his fault.
“Brian laid it out. That’s pretty much the timeline exactly between he and I,” Parker said.
Parker said he should have brought the issue to the tax board last week.
“I apologize on behalf of the fire department for any anguish, (for) anyone who was on the receiving end of that,” Parker said, referring to the Facebook post.
“We greatly appreciate that,” said Colleen Germain-Ezzo, the tax board chairwoman.
George Kurtyka, the president of the Derby Board of Aldermen and Alderwomen, also spoke at the tax board meeting. He said the Facebook post was discouraging.
“But now that we’re here, we’re at a good point and we’re all here together for one cause, to adopt a city budget that is fair and equal to everyone,” Kurtyka said.
Steven Jalowiec, a 50-year-member of the fire department, said he was speaking on behalf of Paugassett Hook & Ladder Co. #4.
“We want you to know that we’re fully supportive of the work that Gary Parker has done as fire commissioner and the efforts that he has done,” Jalowiec said.
He urged the tax board to support Parker’s funding requests – including the need to purchase fire trucks.
Later in the meeting, members of the tax board approved transferring money within the fire department’s budget so the roughly $8,000 brake job could happen.
Parker also unveiled his proposed budget for the 2025 – 2026 fiscal year.
It totaled $483,984. That bottom line is $40,000 more than the fire department budget currently in place.
The proposed fire department budget requests an additional $20,000 for breathing equipment, and an additional $10,000 for annual service contracts (lease agreements for some equipment).
The fire department is requesting $110,000 for vehicle maintenance next year, $20,000 over the current maintenance budget of $90,000.
The fire department has an aging fleet that needs addressing. Click here for a Valley Indy story.
However, those costs are big-ticket items that are not paid for through the department’s operating budget. They could be tackled by the city’s capital planning commission.
