Rockland Town Meeting Approves New Fire Station, Ladder Truck Despite Ballot Defeat
Town Meeting passes $26.1 million debt exclusion for fire station, $2 million for ladder truck, and approves $82.6 million operating budget
ROCKLAND - May 5 - Rockland Town Meeting voters overwhelmingly approved funding for a new fire station and ladder truck Monday night, despite both items having failed at the ballot box during the annual town election in April.
The $26.1 million debt exclusion for a new fire station passed with 283 votes in favor and 65 opposed, exceeding the required two-thirds majority. The $2 million capital outlay for a new ladder truck received unanimous approval.
Fire Chief Scott Duffey presented a scaled-down fire station proposal compared to one rejected by voters two years ago.
"We tried to listen to you and while I don't think we hit exactly what you were hoping that we would hit – a free fire station – we came back with a smaller building where we were hoping would be a more economical building for the town," Duffey says.
The current station, with sections built in 1939 and 1978, is too small for modern equipment and personnel needs, according to Duffey.
"One thing to please keep in mind is that if this vote fails again, the current problems at the station just don't magically go away," Duffey says.
Town Administrator Doug Lapp explained that both the fire station and ladder truck were defeated by narrow margins at the annual town election. Since the projects passed at town meeting, the Select Board now has the option to call a special election.
"If the projects fail to get the required two-thirds approval tonight, then these projects as currently envisioned are dead and they will not proceed," Lapp says. "If either of them do pass tonight, then the Select Board has the option – and I want to stress it's an option, not anything automatic – but they would have the option to call a special election to essentially serve as a tiebreaker."
The ladder truck, purchased in 1999 for $478,000 and refurbished in 2016, needs replacement according to Chief Duffey. The $2 million capital outlay would be a one-time tax increase for fiscal year 2026.
"The lead time on apparatus of this type is about 42 months from the date that you order it," Duffey says. "Now is the time to do this before the major payments for the vo-tech come into play, before the major payments for the new fire station."
Voters also approved the town's $82.6 million general fund operating budget for fiscal year 2026, which includes a 4.4% increase to the school department operating budget plus an additional $600,000 in free cash for extraordinary one-time out-of-district expenses.
The general government operating budget increases by 3.9% with no additional staffing. Lapp noted significant increases in the IT budget for cybersecurity defenses, software licensing fees, photocopier replacements, website ADA upgrades, and new technology for residents to communicate with town departments.
In addition, voters approved a comprehensive update to the Town Charter by a vote of 144 to 80. The charter update, which had been in development for five years, reorganizes town government to improve communication between departments.
Charter Review Committee Chairman Rich Penney explained the changes are based on best practices developed by the Collins Center, which has created over 125 charters for Massachusetts communities.
"Our current charter is about 55 years old," Penney says. "One of the challenges that we have today is that each department actually operates in a silo. What this charter would do is create an organization where a business structure allows communication."
The charter update preserves elected positions that some residents had feared might be eliminated.
Other significant votes included:
- Approval of $22 million in borrowing for wastewater treatment improvements
- Authorization of $3 million for replacing the Bicentennial Park Track
- Approval of $790,000 in free cash for school department expenses
- Acceptance of several provisions of the HERO Act providing tax benefits for veterans
- Approval of $160,000 from the Opioid Settlement Fund for a co-responder/mental health clinician position within the police department
The meeting began with Moderator Kevin Henderson swearing in newly elected officials, including Select Board members Laurie Childs and Steven O'Donnell.
Town Administrator Lapp noted that Rockland's average single-family tax bill remains below the statewide average, below the county average, and below the county median.
"Our current average single-family tax bill is actually in the bottom third of the county median in Plymouth County," Lapp says. "It's also important to note that many of our neighboring towns are actually presenting their voters with permanent operating budget tax overrides this spring. In Rockland, however, we are not proposing a permanent operating override in this budget. We are living within our means."