HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-14-09 City’s cuts may restore Fire Department to full strength
Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
August 14, 2009
EMBARGOED UNTIL: 11:00 a.m.
City’s cuts may restore Fire Department to full strength
Contact:
Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564
Mayor Stephen J. Luecke today announced that a review of the City’s proposed 2010
budget suggests that, because of deep cuts made by other City departments, the Fire
Department may be able to restore its staffing to full strength.
Luecke and outgoing Controller Catherine Fanello re-examined the 2010 budget after the
completion of the South Bend Common Council’s budget hearings for all City
departments. Their review found that more extensive cuts by several City departments –
including Administration & Finance, Code Enforcement, Legal and the Mayor’s Office –
may enable the Fire Department to fully staff needed firefighters and paramedics.
The Fire and Police departments returned to a second hearing today before the South
Bend Common Council to review the numbers for the public safety departments. The
Council previously reviewed proposed budgets for both departments on July 29. But the
combination of the newly enacted Public Safety Tax and a federal stimulus grant received
that day by the Police Department prompted a need for a second review.
Fanello said the ability to restore Fire Department staffing levels also is enabled by
revised revenue projections, based on final 2008 property tax receipts. But she warned
that the latest figures are still based on revenue projections and subject to revision if the
impact of the 2009 tax caps is greater than anticipated. In addition, property tax revenue
is expected to decline in the 2011 budget year by more than $3 million.
Preserving public safety was among the top priorities expressed by residents in a public
opinion survey and in town hall meetings earlier this year on essential government
services. In the Council’s previous budget hearing, the Fire Department would have
benefited from an additional $3 million generated by the Public Safety Tax, which would
have enabled maintaining its current level of 240 firefighters. But the department’s
budget still faced a $1.35 million shortfall compared with 2008, meaning eight currently
vacant positions would remain unfilled, leaving it short of its 2008 level of 248 sworn
firefighters.
But in reviewing different budget scenarios submitted by Chief Howard Buchanon,
Luecke and Fanello said they believed it would be possible to restore the department to
its full strength of 248 sworn firefighters. To reach full strength, the Fire Department also
needs to find new management efficiencies in the department’s operation, working in
collaboration with Firefighters Local 362.
For both the Police and Fire departments, the combination of budget cuts and new
revenue will allow them to maintain full strength but provide “no room for new
operational growth,” Fanello said.
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