Clinton Finance Committee Holds Fire Overtime Flat, Cuts Paramedic Slots to Four

CLINTON — April 14, 2026 — Clinton Finance Committee holds fire overtime flat at $500,000 and trims paramedic request. Meeting on April 14, the committee declined to fund the fire chief's projected $750,000 overtime spend, holding the line at the current-year $500,000 appropriation, and limited the ambulance enterprise fund's paramedic positions to four rather than the eight requested — the same number funded last year, when no paramedics were hired. The panel also unanimously approved a $30,000 reserve fund transfer for two unanticipated fire department expenses: a Lexapol policy-and-procedure contract and new tablets to interface with the police department's recently installed computer-aided dispatch system, bringing the year-to-date total drawn from the $200,000 reserve fund to roughly $62,000. One member called for the Select Board to commission an audit of the overtime account, noting the line has grown from roughly $200,000 to a projected $750,000 over six years: "No matter what we have done, that line item has only gone up." The committee also indicated support for making the town's HR assistant position full-time and scheduled a joint budget subcommittee with the Select Board, with a final budget due by May 21.