A $34.7-million town budget that includes money for an eight-man minimum fire shift, no new town employees, and a raise for first selectman Rudy Marconi has been approved by the Board of Selectmen and sent along to the Board of Finance.

“This is a big deal, the eight-man minimum,” said Assistant Fire Chief Jerry Myers, who stayed to the very end of the selectmen’s three days of budget deliberations, which ended last Wednesday night, March 9.

Fire department shifts fall as low as six under current policy, and the eight-man minimum is designed to improve the fire department’s average response time to fires and, especially, ambulance calls. Time is considered a critical factor in many medical emergencies, such as heart attacks.

When the $90.9-million proposed school budget — representing a 5.72% increase — is added in, the combined budget is close to $140 million in spending. The combined town and school budget next goes before the finance board and, after that, town voters.

The town budget represents a 2.12% increase in town departments’ spending and, at Selectman Steve Zemo’s instigation, adds a roughly $8,000 longevity payment designed to make First Selectman Rudy Marconi’s pay more in line with the salaries of other towns’ chief executives, and appropriate to his experience and responsibilities.

“He’s supervising four people who make more money than he does,” Zemo said.

In addition to the budget for town departments — police, fire, highway, parks and recreation — the selectmen approved $12 million for debt service and $1.85 million for roads and infrastructure — including $75,000 to get started on what is projected to be a multi-year effort to improve compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The $1.85 million for road repairs returns that appropriation to about what it was in 2014-15, and is down from a current-year appropriation of $2.75 million.

This year’s higher spending level was approved last spring, in the wake of two very severe winters that had hastened the inevitable deterioration of road pavement. The reduction now proposed comes after a relatively mild winter this year, which will allow about $400,000 in state road aid to be used for repaving rather than snow removal. That $400,000 from the state pushes the amount available for roadwork next year to $2.25 million.

If the finance board approves the requested spending — and doesn’t dip into the town’s $13-million surplus fund balance for some non-tax revenue — the budget would need a tax increase of a little under 5%.

On Tuesday night the selectmen had voted to recommend to the finance board that the tax rate be held to an increase of 3.5% or less.

In discussion Wednesday night the selectmen noted there been talk from finance board members of possibly using about $1.2 million from the fund balance, which would bring the needed tax increase to just under 4% — without spending reductions.

When Zemo brought up the idea of raising the first selectman’s salary last Wednesday, Marconi left the room.

The first selectman now makes a bit under $128,000, and with the $8,000 longevity payment approved by the selectmen, he’ll be paid something over $136,000.

At first Zemo proposed raising his salary to about $150,000.

“Some communities have a first selectman and a town manager,” he said, and pointed to the pay arrangements in a few other towns.

Darien pays $115,000 to its first selectman, and then $160,000 to a town manager.

Westport pays its first selectman $101,000, and pays $92,000 to the town manager.

Weston, a substantially smaller town than Ridgefield, pays its town manager $130,000 and its first selectman $43,000.

In Ridgefield, Marconi fills both roles, Zemo noted.

Other selectmen agreed Marconi is undercompensated.

“I’ve watched Rudy put in more hours than there are in a week,” said Barbara Manners.

“I agree with you. No one works as hard as Rudy,” said Maureen Kozlark.

But there was also concern about how the substantial raise all in one year would be perceived.

“I think it’s a tough sell,” said Bob Hebert.

Discussion produced the idea of adding a longevity bonus of $1,000 a year — for 16 years, it would add $16,000. If a new first selectman took office, with less experience and knowledge, that could be reduced and the board could start adding to it as the years of work and experience pile up.

“I’m not sure about getting to that number in one year,” Hebert said of the $16,000.

Eventually Zemo moved to add longevity pay of $500 for every year the first selectman had worked — $8,000 — and it passed 4-0-1, with Hebert abstaining.

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