Fire Chief Thomas Hickey told the Everett City Council Project Committee on June 3 that the fire department will return funds in a handful of FY25 line items and described why some FY26 requests rose, particularly for longevity, overtime and personal-protection equipment.

Hickey said the department expects to return money from multiple lines, including salaries and the BLS operating fund, after ambulance revenue was routed into a revolving account. "Once we started collecting monies or revenues from our ambulance and we put it into the revolving account...we really had no use for this line item," he said, explaining why a BLS operating line was reduced.

Councilors asked about longevity, a contractual benefit paid after 10 years of service. Hickey said longevity increases are predictable because they are tied to years of service in negotiated contracts. "We know that we should have that exact number every year," he said of longevity projections, noting the budgeted figure reflects current service anniversaries.

On overtime, Hickey said training and backfill are the main drivers; some training expenditures require overtime to backfill line shifts. The chief also described personnel variables such as vacancies, FMLA and retirements that can make forecasting overtime difficult.

Members approved the fire department budget after the chief's explanation. The committee asked the department to provide updated year-end burn-rate numbers and pledged to review any significant changes in the months ahead.

What comes next: The committee forwarded the FY26 fire department budget to the public hearing process; councilors said they expect continued quarterly updates on expenditure rates.