Wareham Fire District voters on Monday approved a $5.5 million operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes engineering costs for a potential land purchase for a new fire station, funds for three vehicles, and the addition of two career firefighters to the payroll.

A total of $20,000 was earmarked for “engineering and due diligence investigation for [a] potential fire station prior to purchase,” according to the district warrant. Reached after the meeting, Wareham Fire Chief Robert McDuffy said the department has some leads on a location for a new station.

"We've identified a piece of land that may be suitable for our needs," said McDuffy. "We have not purchased anything yet.”

Voters also OK’d $100,000 for the purchase of land that would allow the district to “withdraw more water for the benefit of the community” or purchase land to protect existing well fields, according to the district warrant, which serves as the annual meeting’s agenda.

Other approved purchases include: $50,000 for a pick-up truck to replace the 1997 truck currently used by the Water Department superintendent, $32,000 for a utility van for the Water Department, $25,000 for bulletproof vests and accessories for the Fire Department, and $26,000 for defibrillators that comply with current American Heart Association standards and will allow the department to respond to pediatric emergencies.

"My role as the chief of the department is to offer any piece of equipment to make sure firefighters are safe,” McDuffy said.

The Wareham Fire District, which is autonomous, is comprised of the Wareham Fire Department and Water Department. The fiscal year 2016 tax rate for the district is $2.17 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value. (That is, taxpayers would pay $542.50 per year in taxes for a home assessed at $250,000.)

The district serves all of Wareham, West Wareham, and most of East Wareham. (The autonomous Onset Fire District, which has its own fire and water departments, serves Onset and the eastern section of town that includes the Wareham portion of Buzzards Bay. Registered voters are eligible to vote in the elections and annual meetings of the district in which they reside.)

With a 53-person quorum -- just slightly above the required 50 voters needed to act upon district business -- all 27 of the articles on the warrant were passed without opposition or questions in approximately 30 minutes.

A total of $5,588,534 will be raised from taxes for operating purposes and the salaries and wages of the Water Department, Fire Department, the Prudential Committee, the district’s Mechanics Division and Clerk/Treasurer in the next fiscal year.

Salaries of the Wareham Fire Department chief officers, career officers, and career firefighters saw an overall increase of $41,250 — $40,000 of which was for the addition of two career firefighters to the payroll. Operation costs remain the same.

Water Commissioner salaries increased from $7,700 to $15,000, due to "the jobs requiring more and more time being taken out of the work day," according to George Barrett, Chair of the Prudential Committee.

"I don't think there's been any change in those lines in the last 18 years... it does cut into individual members' workdays," said Barrett.

Prudential Committee salaries jumped from $13,000 to $25,000. The salaries, wages, and operating expenses of the district’s Mechanics Division remained the same.

The salary for Clerk/Treasurer Wendy Lemieux increased by $10,210. The operating expenses of the Clerk/Treasurers's office remained nearly the same. Lemieux said the raise is reflective of her new qualifications, received in August 2015.