DUDLEY, Mass. - The Town of Dudley is facing a significant deficit in its budget for next fiscal year, and the town’s fire chief said it’s already having a dangerous impact on public safety.

Dudley’s FY24 budget was approved on May 22, but rising costs within the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District have created an $867,000 gap between projected costs and the budget voters agreed to.

Selectman John Marsi said it’s a dire situation, and the town has a math problem on its hands.

“The school district, with their current assessment being a double-digit increase and with the additional $867,000 dollars the school committee sent back to us, that’s a 17% increase over the last three years,” Marsi said. “On the town side, we have a 2.49% increase over the last several years as well, so you can see it’s out of balance there.”

Marsi said town leaders are trying to find a balance to satisfy the needs of the school district and public safety, but after two override votes accounting for the bumped up school budget failed, fire chief Dean Kochanowski said trouble is already on the doorstep.

“The additional cuts meant I lost two full-time firefighters, approximately 30 call members, and that left me with two men a shift, me and a deputy,” Kochanowski said. “Basically, I can get one ambulance on the road or a two-man engine company, which is extremely unsafe. I won’t send any of my men into a burning building with two guys.”

Meanwhile, superintendent Stephen Lamarche said the school district is only asking for level service next fiscal year, which means ensuring students have the same experience they did last school year.

The only issue is, inflation has ballooned fixed costs by $3.6 million.

“I think moving forward, not only this year but future years as well, the cost of providing public education for students has increased just like everything else,” Lamarche said. “Right now we’re in a tough spot, we do not want to compromise services for experience with our students.”

Marsi said this hasn’t been a sudden financial struggle. Ten years ago, the town went to the Massachusetts Legislature for help paying the school budget using state funding through the Chapter 70 Program, but their request never made it past committee.

Now, the Board of Selectmen will have to figure out some way to find balance, with more urgency than ever.

“The Board of Selectmen on Monday will hear all the rest of the information and then decide what to do next, whether that’s another form of an override, whether it’s cuts, or some blend of the two,” Marsi said. “So that’s what we’re really focused on. This is not a good place to be.”