Residents of the Onset Fire District will have their say on the District’s $1.23 million budget, improvements for two water wells and a proposal to change how firefighters serving in the military will be paid.

The Onset Fire District Meeting will take place at the Onset Fire Station, 8 Sand Pond Road, Onset, at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 20. 

One item on the District Meeting agenda asks voters to amend an item passed last year regarding pay for Fire District employees in the military. 

Voters at last year’s District Meeting decided to give Onset Fire District employees serving in the military 34 shifts-worth of full-time pay each fiscal year. After that, employees will receive their Onset Fire District salaries with their military pay subtracted.

This year’s proposal would replace last year’s item with the benefits and protections included in Municipal General Law Chapter 33, Section 59. That section of the law states Commonwealth employees serving in the armed forces will receive their standard pay for the first 30 days of deployment, after which they will receive their standard pay reduced by their military base pay. 

Voters will also have their say on an 8.9% increase proposed for the district’s general budget, from $1,121,500 to $1,231,200. This increase comes from higher insurance and retirement plan costs. 

They will also vote on a $393,000 fire department budget, a 9.4% increase over last year’s$356,000 budget. 

The salaries for fire department personnel, if approved at District Meeting, will increase as per their collective bargaining agreement. Fire department staff on payroll will receive 6% increases, whereas call department staff apart from recruits and interns will receive a 1% increase. 

Additionally, two items will ask voters to approve $700,000 in funding for upgrades at two of the Fire District’s wells, with the upgrades to include emergency power generators. 

The District will seek funding to reimburse up to 75% of the project, and the funding from the district can’t be spent unless the District secures grant funding. 

For more information, visit the Onset Fire District website.