Pittsburgh Mayor looking to merge FD/Paramedics

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Mayor Murphy, firefighters to talk merger -- again

(Pittsburgh-AP) -- It appears that Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy's
efforts to merge the city's firefighter and paramedic services may
not be dead in the water after all.
Murphy met privately yesterday with firefighter's union
president Joe King. The last time the two met -- on April Eleventh
-- King stormed out of a meeting and vowed to torpedo the merger
plan.
Murphy wants the services merged so he can close nine fire
stations and cut as many as 300 firefighter jobs. He says the moves
are needed to trim seven-point-five (M) million dollars this year
and 15 (M) million dollars a year thereafter.
The cuts are a key component of Murphy's plan to erase a
projected 60 (M) million budget deficit.


(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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June 6th, 2003

(Pittsburgh-AP) -- Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy is scheduled to
meet with fire department officials today to hold merger talks.
The city has proposed merging some emergency services to help
cover a budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year.
The president of the Fire Fighters Local Number One says the 15
(m) million dollars the city expects to save by merging some
services is unrealistic.
Joe King says the city should push legislators to approve an
annual occupational tax on people living in the city that he says
would generate as much as 30 (m) million dollars.
Residents now pay a ten dollar occupational tax.
Pittsburgh is facing a 60 (m) million dollar budget gap and has
already asked legislators to approve new taxes on schools and
hospitals and also a poured liquor tax.


(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)