LEBANON, Maine — Residents in Lebanon voted to give additional funding to the town's fire and EMS department in a special vote on Saturday.
A total of $115,000 dollars worth of unassigned funds were up for debate to financially support the department until June when another fiscal budget will be decided.
Some select board members and residents argued in a public discussion that the department would have run out of funding for staff and running costs, leaving the potential for a shutdown if left without additional funds.
"A 'no' vote today means the town will not be able to provide its own emergency services," Select Board Vice Chair Michael Walsworth said.
Those in opposition argued other spending cuts should be made within the department, such as re-managing staff, or funds should be taken from other spending resources within the town.
"Why should we vote you more funds, when you've demonstrated you can't manage the funds that you have?" one resident said.
Fire Chief Joseph Stefano said pretty soon, the department is not going to be able to sustain itself due to a long history of cutting corners. Right now, firefighters are required to purchase their own uniforms, and some equipment out of their own pockets instead of from the department.
This vote comes just after the department relocated to a temporary building after both of its fire stations were uninhabitable due to safety reasons.
"This goes back decades or more where they've been asking for adequate funding [for] new trucks and it hasn't been given to them," Stefano said. "And we're at a point where you can't kick the can down the road anymore."