Budget documents are great. They're valuable perspectives for the public into the operations and organization of government. They're great aids for historians, who seek to piece together the prior infrastructures. Below is the budget note from Raleigh Fire Chief Alvin Lloyd, for expenditures estimated for Fiscal Year 1948-49. This appears to be a working document, used to submit an approved budget. The final approved figures were added in handwriting. Enjoy.
You will note that I have requested that members of the Fire Division be given an increase in salary, which, after careful investigation, I find is comparable with other cities in the state. Due to the increased cost of living and the fact that the firemen average 12 working hours for the year round, I feel that this increase is well deserved. I feel that this increase in salary will be an inducement in obtaining better material and men of height and character for the Fire Division.
I would recommend that the future employees of this division have at least an education of finishing the tenth grade. I have asked that the entrance salary be increased to $180 per month for the first 90 days and at the end of that time to be increased to $190 per month for the following nine months, then they will increase to $200 per month for one year. At the end of two years they will increase to $215 per month, which will be the maximum salary for firemen. Increased responsibility deserve a small increase over the regular firemen's salary.
1Lieutenants versus Captains back in the day? Need to research that. The rank was subsequently recreated in 1992, as a new name for Firefighter II or Engineer.
2The budget included this note about a ladder truck: One new city service truck (this truck is needed for new No. 6 station to giver quicker service to the residents of the western and north parts of the city. This will also leave a ladder truck in service for the next fire. As it now is we are without a ladder truck after leaving on the first fire call, until the fire is out and we return to station. The city service truck we now have has to go some five or six miles to some fires.) Alas, no new service truck was authorized, and Truck 6 was placed in service with the 1922 American LaFrance that was moved from at Station 2. It was cross-staffed with personnel assigned to the aerial ladder at Station 2.
3The crash truck, which was a pick-up truck with firefighting equipment, was budgeted as $1,400 (truck) and $1,000 (equipment). This was purchased and placed in a service, a 1948 Ford F3 auxiliary truck that replaced an older Dodge that was totaled in an accident in 1947.
4The approved budget for that fiscal year was $192,095.