FY25 GFOA Budget - Flipbook - Page 9
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BUDGET MESSAGE
Departmental Budgets and New Initiatives
Personnel costs and benefits increased by only 0.8%. The increase is mainly due to salary, step
increases, benefits, overtime, training, health and fitness, and testing fees. Included in these costs is
the sick time sell-back option. Staff anticipates sick time sell-back of $70,000. Selling back time now
reduces future liability and reflects a more sustainable long-term strategy, selling back time now
instead of at a higher rate later. Additionally, overtime is up, adding to the overall increase. In 2024,
the District saw firefighter hiring slow, causing longer delays in onboarding new firefighters. The
District is down two (2) personnel, with another one (1) in January 2025. These vacancies add to an
increase in overtime. While we expect to fill these vacancies soon, staff is taking a conservative
approach.
Health insurance premiums are anticipated to increase by 2.4% over FY 2024. The overall budget
will increase by 5.5% due to demographic changes and new members. The District’s switch to the
Intergovernmental Personnel Benefit Cooperative (IPBC) has been very successful and fiscally
responsible. The District saw a 10% increase in premiums yearly with other providers. Staff is
confident the District will continue to see savings year on year.
Contractual expenditures increased by 3.8%, down 0.2% over 2024. This line item accounts for all
our general spending to run the operations of the District. These items include Fleet, SCBA,
buildings and grounds, janitorial, communications, firefighting equipment, fuel, utilities, special
teams, and general organizational expenses. Staff continues to experience the effects of high
inflation when it comes to purchasing materials.
The District continues to see IRMA increases of over 10% yearly. For FY25, IRMA costs amount to
$186,250, which represents a 7.6% increase. This is not sustainable. Staff is focused on
performance benchmarking with other organizations to determine how the District compares. Staff
continues to evaluate health and safety initiatives, workers' compensation management, the cost of
the risk management program, and other key measures. In 2024, The District partnered with
Northern Illinois University (NIU) to examine the District’s risk management program and make
recommendations to keep costs down.
The last few years have marked a turning point in our operating budget as we embarked on several
new initiatives and programs following nearly a decade of trying to hold our own. Some of the more
notable initiatives and changes for 2025 include:
Personnel Changes – The Budget includes the addition of an EMS Administrator. The primary role
of this EMS Administrator will be assisting with community risk reduction and integrated health,
focusing on reducing the risk of injury and illness, chronic issues, and system abuse. This will
include meeting with residential, long-term, and adult care facilities and convenient care to
promote the transfer of care. Additionally, their role will consist of emergency medical
management, record management, compliance, and continuing education for paramedics. This
position would be funded by allocating revenue increases from EMS fees.
As the District prepares for the future, it’s essential for staff to focus on succession planning to
ensure organizational continuity. With anticipated administrative retirements in the next five years
or sooner, the District is considering its options. In June 2025, Haley will graduate from NIU with
her master’s degree in public administration and hopes to continue with the District afterward. Her
P a g e 9 |BARTLETT FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT | BUDGET MESSAGE
