By Jeff Horseman
The Maryland Gazette
Copyright 2006 Capital Gazette Communications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
The County Council Monday night approved physical fitness stipends for senior fire chiefs, even though there’s no way of knowing whether that money will go toward free weights or french fries.
The 31 fire battalion chiefs, fire division chiefs and fire deputy chiefs will now enjoy the same $600 a year stipend that rank and file union members get. The union’s 764 firefighters have gotten a stipend paid in 26 equal installments since 2004.
The stipends were part of a comprehensive bill raising pay for nonunion workers, including corrections officers and Anne Arundel Soil Conservation District employees. Council Chairman Ed Reilly, R-Crofton, sponsored the ordinance at the request of County Executive Janet S. Owens.
Only the chiefs get the stipend, part of the county’s deal with Professional Firefighters Local 1563. The bill extended the stipends to nonunion fire department officials so their pay and benefits would be on par with the union contract.
County Personnel Director Mark Atkisson said the stipends were part of the county’s plan to improve firefighter fitness.
“We’re encouraging them to become physically fit,” he said.
Mr. Atkisson noted that with the new shifts, firefighters will be out of the station more. But the idea drew skeptical questions when Mr. Atkisson said the county won’t require firefighters to prove they’re spending the stipends on gym memberships or exercise equipment.
“It seems we’re being awfully generous,” Mr. Reilly said.
Councilman Barbara D. Samorajczyk, D-Annapolis Roads, proposed an amendment that would have removed the stipend from the bill, citing the lack of standards to ensure the money is spent on fitness.
Her motion died for lack of a second. The unaltered bill passed 7-0.
Councilman Pamela G. Beidle, D-Linthicum, said with the upcoming fitness standards, there will be “real repurcussions” for firefighters who don’t spend their stipends to get in shape.
Councilman Ron Dillon Jr., R-Pasadena, said he believes the fire department is moving toward improving firefighter fitness. He called the bonuses “the first step toward getting a healthier workforce.
“This is the front end of it,” he said. “There’s going to be some other things coming down from the (Owens) administration.”
Union President Bob Stevens said firefighters hired after July 1, 2004, have to meet certain fitness standards. For those hired before that date, the department is about to start a wellness and fitness program.
Firefighter Stevens said he thinks union members spend their stipends on fitness-related activities, including paying the deductibles for physicals.
Taxi surcharge
The council Monday night also delayed voting on a bill that would have enacting a new gasoline surcharge on taxi rides.
Under the bill, the county would be able to approve a surcharge twice a year, once in May and once in October. The surcharge would be based on the average price of a gallon of gas in the Baltimore area, accordingto AAA.
When gas prices are less than $2, there would be no surcharge. The surcharge would be $1 when prices are between $2.01 and $2.50, and it would
max out at $5 when the price hits $4.01 or more.
If the bill passes, a 5-mile trip would cost $11.80.
The bill would also add a passenger fee for multiple passengers going to the same destination. For passengers age 8 and older, the fee would be $1 per passenger.
The legislation backed by Ms. Owens seeks to help cabbies reeling from high gas prices. A $1 surcharge passed by the council last fall is currently in effect.
Annapolis has separate regulations for taxis that operate within the city.
While many cab drivers welcomed relief, some urged the council to put the surcharge on the meters, rather than posting it on card listing various charges. Otherwise, they said passengers could dispute the surcharge.
“A meter is like a cash register,” said Russell Brannan, who drives at taxi around BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. “When you look at the cash register, you know what to pay.”
Vandy Riggs told the council she got into a dispute with a passenger Sunday about the surcharge. A county police officer told the passenger she only had to pay what was on the meter, Ms. Riggs said.
Spurgeon Eismeier, county director of inspections and permits, said putting the surcharge on the meter would require the time-consuming task of recalibrating them.
Robert Simms, president of Cab Connection in Glen Burnie, said his drivers avoid disputes by explaining the surcharge to passengers when they first get in. He said adding the surcharge to meters would put a hardship on seniors and passengers with modest incomes.
The council voted 7-0 to delay voting on the bill until its June 19 meeting.