After two special meetings last week (Feb. 10 and Feb. 12) revealed a potentially significant budget increase and a novel approach to the debt service component of the overall Town budget, First Selectman Toni Boucher marshaled the Board of Selectmen (BOS) and several other town officials for another round of discussions on the work-in-progress budget proposal for FY 2026.
The latest discussion (Tuesday, Feb. 18) focused on the budget for the Wilton Fire Department and emergency management, including the valuable contribution of CERT, Wilton’s Community Emergency Response Team.
The board did not delve deeply into the overall budget numbers. Boucher’s initial budget proposal significantly exceeded the Board of Finance‘s guidance on budget increases for FY’26, but several documents posted on the Town website appear to demonstrate how officials are trying to whittle it down. The selectmen have scheduled a special meeting to dig deeper into budget numbers on Thursday, Feb. 20. (The meeting agenda and Zoom link for that meeting may be found on the Town website.)
One document shows a “running total” of the proposed budget which assumes no increases in operating capital and departmental requests over the current year, except for “operationally essential or contractual” obligations and the addition of two new firefighters (as discussed later in this story) — all of which would result in a 7.46% budget increase. While it is much less than a 10.39% increase from the budget’s first draft, it’s still far above the 3% guidance from the BOF.
Boucher briefly alluded to the “difficult” budget process, including the realization that a $300,000 reserve account had been depleted in prior years’ budgets and must be accounted for in FY’26, as well as an unexpectedly large increase in health insurance costs which officials only learned in recent days.
On a more positive note, Boucher said a decision is expected within the next few weeks about state reimbursement of some Miller-Driscoll School renovation costs, which Boucher said could amount to roughly $700,000, or potentially even more. She noted Wilton will be receiving guidance on how the funds may be used, whether for paying debt service, new bonded items, or operating capital.
Fire Department Needs
Wilton Fire Department Chief Jim Blanchfield attended the BOS meeting and presented his budget request for FY’26. (The full presentation is posted on the Town website.)
While Blanchfield is calling for a modest 2.6% increase in total operating expenses (driven by increases in vehicle maintenance, firefighter gear and software costs), salaries would have a more significant increase, with the addition of two new firefighters at a cost of $108,000 each.
Citing an 86% increase in calls for service since 1999 — the last time Wilton’s firefighter headcount was increased — Blanchfield explained the need as follows:
“The Wilton Fire Department currently has a deficient level of staffing in relation to its volume of calls for service, the developing community profile, mutual aid realities, as well as other factors.”
“The plan is to add two firefighters to each shift, making the deployment eight. This will help combat the problems identified herein, better meet community expectations and improve the safety of the residents and firefighters.”
“We need to bring in more staff to address our rising call volume, keep up with the planned expansion of our community, compensate for the realities of mutual aid, and ensure a fair response time across all areas of Town.”
Blanchfield noted that the emergence of Wilton as a “health care hub” along with several new multifamily apartment buildings are contributing to the need for additional firefighters — though he also said he would likely be making the request even without the new buildings, given requirements from OSHA and other demands on the department, such as working closely with industrial giant, ASML.
Blanchfield also emphasized that the town’s nominal budget of roughly $13,000 to support Wilton CERT — whose members are trained to support Wilton police, fire and EMS — pays tremendous dividends and saves many thousands of dollars per year for services Wilton’s emergency departments would otherwise have to staff. CERT members have volunteered nearly 10,000 hours in the past five years. The budget has been flat for 10 years.
