The Croton Fire Council closed out April with the kind of budget news volunteer fire departments rarely hear. Deputy Mayor Len Simon told the council at its April 28 meeting that the village adopted the budget "about a week ago with the help of the chief," carrying an operating budget of $665,356 and $740,563 for the department, according to the minutes. Two ice machines were approved along with it, starting June 1. How well did the department make out? One of the chiefs' reports put it plainly: "we did good with the budget and pretty much everything we asked for we will be getting." The Quaker Bridge news ran the other way. Simon said it was "no good news" — the project "won't make the June cut off" because of the Army Corps of Engineers. The county-led replacement of the bridge ultimately began in early July, according to village updates issued later in the summer. Simon covered several other village items. With affordable housing, the village can use "occupational preferences," and the governor "put out a law about additional stipends." A question about members buying into the village's health insurance led to a discussion of how much it would cost. Asked whether there are plans for solar on the Harmon firehouse roof, Simon said the solar came first but couldn't be done because the roof is so bad — and the roof is in the upcoming capital budget. Around the firehouses, the chiefs' reports found plenty in motion. Training has been "going great," one report said, but members really need to take the time to sign up — a session in New Haven was set for that weekend. Calls have seen "a little up tick." Engine 119 should be back soon, the tanker will then head out for repairs, and two new chiefs' cars are in the works. The public will see plenty of the department this season: Summerfest is coming, with all the space in front of, across the street from, and behind the Grand Street Firehouse lined up for demos. Parade season follows quickly, and a touch-a-truck event was scheduled for Sunday at Sprout Westchester out on Route 129. Another stretch of the reports covered facilities and equipment. Work in the chemicals room at Grand Street is complete. Washington Engine's exterior lighting is done, with the blacktop expected in the next couple of weeks. The Harmon firehouse's downstairs day room remains held up by EMS supplies still stored in roughly four rooms; a date for the inspection and an officers meeting is to be set. The department's two small boats are serviced and ready, while the big boat still needs work — the hope is to have it in the water by Memorial Day weekend. The Big Buck tickets are out, but the permit from the gaming commission is still "about 2 weeks out," a report noted, and companies were told to line up their 2025 "2% money" documentation. A two-day Recruit NY push — a couple of hours each day, with a brochure the village produced — drew two people: two took an application, and others just wanted information. In membership action, the council approved a member's change from active to social status with Harmon Engine, following the company's April 13 vote. Washington Engine submitted a few membership changes, including a correction to the March minutes: a member recorded as resigning had in fact asked to go social after moving out of the area. Transfer papers for a prospective Washington Engine member were voted on favorably but tabled pending the proper paperwork — no copy of the transfer form was in hand. Communications included a FASNY letter on its scholarships, and another saying the department's FASNY dues were not received; that item was passed to another officer. The contract with the Yonkers Military Band for the season's three trophy parades — Montrose, Yorktown and Ossining — will be signed and returned, and Westchester/Rockland Day at the Home is set for Sunday, July 19. For Summerfest, the parade committee priced two bands: the Tarrytown Vets, who upped their price to $1,000, and the Yonkers Military Band, which wanted $1,100. The council went with the Vets, on a carried motion. Even training has a limit, the Training Committee suggested: with so many drills, "none of the companies can get a Rig Check done." "Maybe we need to back down on the Drills a bit," the committee's report read. And a member pressed, again, about the IAR not working correctly — messages are doubled — described in the minutes as a radio/computer issue. Companies were asked to turn in Big Bucks money by May 26, the day after Memorial Day, and the holiday itself "will be the normal thing," the minutes note. For residents, the stretch from Memorial Day through Summerfest offers the fullest view of the department at work — on the parade route, at the demos outside the Grand Street Firehouse, and, if Recruit NY's two applicants are a start, in a few new sets of ranks.