New Bedford Fire Station 9 Slated for Closure Gets Sudden Lifeline in State Budget

BOSTON (WBSM) — Senator Mark Montigny secured key funding today in the FY2027 Senate budget to go toward keeping New Bedford Fire Station 9 open and firefighters on the job, after Mayor Jon Mitchell said in his City budget address that the station would have to shut down.

Montigny’s budget amendment explicitly states that $500,000 in funding “shall be expended to the New Bedford Fire Department for personnel costs, including maintaining staffing at Fire Station 9 to keep the facility open.”

"Firefighters are our first line of defense whenever tragedy strikes, and I am pleased to deliver funding at their request in the Senate budget to help keep their department strong,” Montigny (D-New Bedford) said. “We appreciate the men and women of NBFD, and I hope today’s announcement makes clear just how much we all value their lifesaving work.”

New Bedford Fire Department Facing Budget Cuts

In his address to the New Bedford City Council last week, Mitchell said that the constraints of his proposed $535 million budget for FY27 would force the New Bedford Fire Department to either reduce staffing on every apparatus, or Station 9 would have to close.

“We can no longer afford a fire department that both runs nine companies and staffs them with four firefighters. In the absence of an agreement with the firefighters’ union to reduce manning per apparatus, we will be forced to shut down a fire company,” Mitchell said. “Although Chief (Brian) Medeiros is understandably reluctant to close any company, closing Engine 9 on Ashley Boulevard would have the least impact on overall operations. Unfortunately, this will result in the laying-off of recently hired firefighters at the beginning of the fiscal year.”

The Impact of Closing Engine 9 on Ashley Boulevard

The budget amendment states that keeping Station 9 open will “sustain sufficient emergency response times across the city,” according to a release.

According to the proposed budget, the fire department would receive $21.74 million for FY27, nearly a million dollars less than the FY26 budget. A New Bedford Light report stated the City would save $1.8 million by closing Station 9 and eliminating all 20 positions at the station.

“Combined with a $797,662 increase in unrestricted state aid over the FY2026 budget, the city will have an additional $1,297,662 to help keep the North End fire station open,” the release stated.

“According to municipal budget documents, the New Bedford Fire Department’s FY2026 budget for personal services, or payroll, was $21,274,844,” the release stated. “The initial FY2027 budget proposes a reduction of $790,917 for this line item. The state funding delivered by Montigny can offset this gap to keep Station 9 open.”

Montigny’s office noted that “combined with a $797,662 increase in unrestricted state aid over the FY2026 budget, the city will have an additional $1,297,662 to help keep the North End fire station open.”

However, City of New Bedford Public Information Officer Jonathan Darling told WBSM, “The $797,662 increase in unrestricted state aid mentioned in the press release was already accounted for when the City developed the FY27 budget, as it was announced weeks ago.”

Firefighter Leadership Praises Montigny's Work

Firefighter leadership at the state and local level praised Sen. Montigny and the budget amendment.

“This is leadership,” said Billy Sylvia, President of the New Bedford Firefighters Local 841. “The unexpected budget deficit was dropped to the city of $32 million after a surplus was announced in November. Senator Montigny without delay sought to help fix the issue. Giving our city the money and tools to keep Engine 9 in service and the men and women on the rig to serve our community when needed most. We thank Senator Montigny for his continued support to our members and his unwavering commitment to his community.”

“Senator Montigny has always been a strong advocate for public safety throughout his career and the funding that he secured today for the fire department shows just that,” said Billy Cabral, Secretary Treasurer of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts. “These important funds can be used specifically to keep Station 9 open. We would also like to thank Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues and Senate President (Karen) Spilka and the Senate as a whole for their continued support for firefighters and their families.”

Mitchell: Lack of Unrestricted Local Aid a Major Factor

In his budget address, Mitchell said one of the major reasons for the City’s budget crunch was that unrestricted state aid has not kept up with inflation.

“Remarkably, this current fiscal year was the time we received more unrestricted aid than in 2009. Stop and think about how much more expensive everything is now than then,” he said.

“Had the state kept up its local aid commitment, we would have received approximately $13 million more this current year. Last week, to much fanfare, the state Senate proposed an increase in unrestricted aid that would result in about six hundred thousand dollars more for New Bedford than the House of Representatives number,” Mitchell said. “The Senate’s effort was laudable, but it will barely make a dent in that $13 million shortfall.”

Montigny’s release pointed out that under the Senate plan, New Bedford will receive a total of $29,434,636 in unrestricted state aid. “This level of funding equates to over $290 per person in the city,” it stated. “If local aid were distributed purely on a per capita basis, New Bedford would receive less than $200 per person. Despite the disproportionate share, New Bedford needs additional support.”

Addressing the $32 Million New Bedford Budget Deficit

Montigny noted that while the budget amendment can help stave off the closure of Fire Station 9, New Bedford needs to “identify the root” of its budgeting problem.

“The Senate’s budget includes sorely needed state aid to help offset the heavy burdens and tough choices local taxpayers are grappling with,” Montigny said. “Closing down Station 9 and laying off firefighters cannot be the answer. I’m pleased to help deliver immediate support, but we will need to do more collectively to identify the root of the problem and to fix it.”

“We were told less than six months ago that the city finished with a surplus and every single line item came in at or under budget. Now there is a $32 million deficit. This suggests a very troubling structural issue,” Montigny said. “The state delegation and city council are working together to find solutions, and I thank Council President Ryan Pereira and his colleagues for their steady and productive engagement on this issue.”

Mayor Mitchell's Office provided WBSM with a statement on Montigny's budget amendment.

“The Mayor appreciates Senator Montigny’s efforts to include a $500,000 earmark for the New Bedford Fire Department. With the operating cost of a fire company at $1.8 million annually, these state funds would enable the City to delay action on Engine 9 for a few months," Darling said. "Meanwhile, it will continue to work with the firefighters’ union and the City Council to put in place the long-term changes to staffing, health care, and pensions, and to advocate for the restoration of historic levels of state aid, that together are necessary to ensure that City government, including the NBFD, is on a sustainable financial path."