Not2L84U2
02-21-2008, 10:57 PM
Thought some of you might find this interesting.
Danville mayor proposes fire service cuts
By Pam G. Dempsey
Wednesday February 20, 2008
DANVILLE – One year after adding three new police officers to city personnel, officials are proposing to cut nine firefighter positions and close a fire station.
During a city council meeting Tuesday night, Mayor Scott Eisenhauer proposed the cuts as a way to make up for a projected $335,000 gap in the city's fiscal 2008-2009 budget.
"There's no guarantee that firefighters will be the only personnel to be eliminated," Eisenhauer said.
At nearly $22.9 million, Eisenhauer's proposed general fund spending plan is 1.6 percent more than last year's $22.5 million general fund budget. The city's fiscal year begins May 1.
Last year, the city council approved adding three new police officers to help create a problem-oriented police unit.
With decreases in state and city sales taxes, and with a council decision not to add property taxes to the general fund, general fund revenues are projected to increase about 1.6 percent, Eisenhauer said. Typically, revenues increase about 3 percent annually.
Without cuts to the budget, expenditures were expected to increase by 5.4 percent, Eisenhauer said.
Because aldermen have said that streets and law enforcement were their top priorities, Eisenhauer said cuts to the police department "did not make sense ... while still trying to achieve our goals citywide."
Some aldermen have said that they are hesitant to increase taxes or other revenue sources in the current economy.
The proposed budget also increases the streets department expenditures by nearly $100,000.
The city's fire department is "costly to operate," Eisenhauer said, owing to increasing personnel costs, union contracts and expenses. The fire department also does not generate much revenue, he said.
The salaries of nine firefighters total about $410,000, but Eisenhauer said it would cost the city about $203,000 to eliminate the positions.
Officials have not chosen yet which of the city's four fire stations would be closed, Eisenhauer said.
He said he challenged Public Safety Director Larry Thomason and Bobby Lillard, the fire department's deputy director, to find new revenue sources as a potential way to prevent the cuts.
Lillard said officials are looking into the situation but that cuts would affect the department's response times.
Aaron Marcott, president of the Danville Firefighters Association, said minimum standards require that 15 firefighters respond to a call.
"On our best day, we have 18" firefighters on duty, he said.
Of about 275 fires over the past three years, response time to 120 has been more than four minutes, Marcott said.
Longer response times would mean increased damage to property and potentially loss of life, he said.
Marcott said there are ways to increase revenues, such as operating an ambulance service.
Eisenhauer said aldermen will be discussing the budget at each city council and committee meeting until its adoption in April.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Find this article at:
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/2008/02/20/mayor_proposes_fire_service_cu ts
Danville mayor proposes fire service cuts
By Pam G. Dempsey
Wednesday February 20, 2008
DANVILLE – One year after adding three new police officers to city personnel, officials are proposing to cut nine firefighter positions and close a fire station.
During a city council meeting Tuesday night, Mayor Scott Eisenhauer proposed the cuts as a way to make up for a projected $335,000 gap in the city's fiscal 2008-2009 budget.
"There's no guarantee that firefighters will be the only personnel to be eliminated," Eisenhauer said.
At nearly $22.9 million, Eisenhauer's proposed general fund spending plan is 1.6 percent more than last year's $22.5 million general fund budget. The city's fiscal year begins May 1.
Last year, the city council approved adding three new police officers to help create a problem-oriented police unit.
With decreases in state and city sales taxes, and with a council decision not to add property taxes to the general fund, general fund revenues are projected to increase about 1.6 percent, Eisenhauer said. Typically, revenues increase about 3 percent annually.
Without cuts to the budget, expenditures were expected to increase by 5.4 percent, Eisenhauer said.
Because aldermen have said that streets and law enforcement were their top priorities, Eisenhauer said cuts to the police department "did not make sense ... while still trying to achieve our goals citywide."
Some aldermen have said that they are hesitant to increase taxes or other revenue sources in the current economy.
The proposed budget also increases the streets department expenditures by nearly $100,000.
The city's fire department is "costly to operate," Eisenhauer said, owing to increasing personnel costs, union contracts and expenses. The fire department also does not generate much revenue, he said.
The salaries of nine firefighters total about $410,000, but Eisenhauer said it would cost the city about $203,000 to eliminate the positions.
Officials have not chosen yet which of the city's four fire stations would be closed, Eisenhauer said.
He said he challenged Public Safety Director Larry Thomason and Bobby Lillard, the fire department's deputy director, to find new revenue sources as a potential way to prevent the cuts.
Lillard said officials are looking into the situation but that cuts would affect the department's response times.
Aaron Marcott, president of the Danville Firefighters Association, said minimum standards require that 15 firefighters respond to a call.
"On our best day, we have 18" firefighters on duty, he said.
Of about 275 fires over the past three years, response time to 120 has been more than four minutes, Marcott said.
Longer response times would mean increased damage to property and potentially loss of life, he said.
Marcott said there are ways to increase revenues, such as operating an ambulance service.
Eisenhauer said aldermen will be discussing the budget at each city council and committee meeting until its adoption in April.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Find this article at:
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/2008/02/20/mayor_proposes_fire_service_cu ts