Fire chief discusses department's budget

Fire chief Christopher Carleton was the guest speaker at the August 15 meeting of the Point Roberts Taxpayers Association. Carleton shared information about the local fire department’s finances, including some projected big-ticket items in the near future.

“Our projected capital costs in the next 10 years is $2 million,” Carleton said, which includes a new fire truck by 2020 in order to meet current standards and protect the community’s fire rating. “Hopefully I’ll be successful in buying the community a new fire truck with funds that are given to us rather than out of our tax dollars,” he said, reporting on continuing efforts to secure grant funding.

Carleton also reminded audience members that they can view the department’s budget online at wcfd5.com. “You can go there and it will tell you exactly how we are spending the funds,” he said.