By Kyle Feldscher
The Bay City Times
BAY CITY, Mich. — In two weeks, the Bay City Fire Department will have six fewer firefighters, a decision that came Monday when the Bay City Commission approved its budget.
Also included in the budget: an increase in overtime costs for the fire department.
Fire Chief Greg Michalek said the layoffs, which take effect July 15, will cause Fire Station 5, 1209 Smith, to close sporadically. He expects Station 5 to be closed 30-45 days during the rest of 2009 and could not speculate what would happen in 2010.
The new budget increases the department’s overtime to $149,845, up from $118,000. City Manager Robert Belleman said the increase is meant to help keep station closures to a minimum.
Staffing levels will be low enough that station closures will occur if firefighters call in sick or take vacation, he said.
“The issue is having sufficient (staffing) overall to keep Station 5 open due to existing vacation picks or sick leave,” Belleman said.
Firefighter Rick Wells has been with the Bay City Fire Department for six years and is one of those who will be laid off July 15. He said he was “appalled” by the commission’s decision Monday. He said it was hard to believe the commission didn’t pass the general fund with amendments that could have balanced the budget and saved the firefighter jobs.
“I’m there to save lives and help the community, and we’re being slammed,” Wells said. “No matter what we do, it’s never good enough.”
The firefighter layoffs come after two weeks of debate among city commissioners and the public, on whether the layoffs were the best option to balance the budget. The city needed to cut more than $516,000.
Commissioner Kevin Novellino, 2nd Ward, said the debate over the firefighter layoffs is representative of a split he sees in Bay City.
“In this community, there definitely is a divide,” Novellino said. “There is (an) old guard who want to see things stay the same and not change, and then there’s a whole lot of people who are crying for change.”
Mayor Charles Brunner had vetoed the original budget because it called for firefighter layoffs. The veto was upheld, and commissioners spent last week trying to find other ways to balance the budget.
But on Monday, on a 6-3 vote, the budget was approved with the layoffs in place.
“I’m disappointed, but we’ll move forward,” Brunner said. “It was a decision made by the majority, and we’re going to move on.”
The approved budget also eliminated the vacant positions of lead maintenance specialist at City Hall and two interns in the Human Resources department, with the money saved going to the fire department’s overtime budget.
The six least-tenured firefighters in the department are slated to be laid off. There are also six firefighters who are eligible for retirement, which could affect who is laid off.
Wells, who has two small children with his wife, Jennifer, said he hoped those eligible for retirement would step aside so he and his fellow firefighters could come back, but didn’t know if they would.
“I’m hoping, but it’s just a hope,” Wells said.
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