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The City Budget process is almost to the end…City Council’s vote on Tuesday night will wrap up over a month of budget review, hearings and deliberations. There are a few major changes proposed in this budget — the two drawing the most ire are the changes to the Fire Dept and Rec Centers After-school programs. Given the tight budget there were some fairly significant cuts to City staff, mostly in IT — but the Rec Center After-school program is being cut and the Fire Dept methodology changed with a loss of 16 positions (not lay offs, loss is by attrition). The Rec Center issue may get resolved, or at least a reprieve so that City Admin and City School District can try to reach an agreement on these services.
The Fire Dept. will go forward — regardless of what Council does — Although City Council cannot tell the Fire Chief how to run the Fire Dept we can (and WILL) be sure that their plans do not put residents OR firefighters in harms way. The plan involves eliminating the Midi (small truck) and using a Quint ( Truck with a ladder) and Engine (big truck) instead. That leaves a couple of fire stations — like Charlotte — with one Quint. Although Charlotte has relatively few calls each year, they are geographically isolated so I am concerned. At the end of the day City Council needs to make sure that response times are what the Chief says they will be — unchanged.
Otherwise I have to say this was a sound budget — and an even sounder budget process — 2 and 1/2 days of budget hearings — about 1 hour or so from each department head answering our questions. I received more information on the budget in this first go around that I got in the entire 5 years I was on the County Lej. What a difference!!
Will keep you posted on how we manage to resolve the issues relative to the fire department and rec centers.
Tags: Centers, Firetrucks, Rec
[...] » Firetrucks and Rec Centers… » Carla Palumbo The City Budget process is almost to the end…City Council’s vote on Tuesday night will wrap up over a month of budget review, hearings and deliberations. There are a few major changes proposed in this budget — the two drawing the most ire are the changes to the Fire Dept and Rec Centers After-school programs. Given the tight budget there were some fairly significant cuts to City staff, mostly in IT — but the Rec Center After-school program is being cut and the Fire Dept methodology changed with a loss of 16 positions (not lay offs, loss is by attrition) [...]