By Jodi Rogstad
The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — As the Cheyenne City Council readies to vote on voluntary buyouts for police officers and city employees, Mayor Rick Kaysen has met twice with the Cheyenne Professional Firefighters Local 279 to renegotiate its contract for this budget year.
The union seeks an optional buyout incentive for the 13 firefighters eligible for retirement.
Union president Jon Narva said its proposal — which Kaysen rejected — would save the city nearly $726,000 through the fiscal year 2011 budget.
The union’s goal was “not permanently jeopardizing public safety but running lean for a little while,” he said.
Under the union’s proposed buyout plan, the city would offer $600 a month toward their health insurance premiums.
This would be in addition to the $300 a month retirees already get until they turn 65. Non-union city employees — including police officers — do not get that same benefit.
The union also proposed freezing all vacancies for a year and permanently eliminating one firefighter position.
“I tried to look at biggest incentive we could do while still saving the city significant money,” Narva said. “That’s part of the reason I settled on the $600.”
Kaysen said those savings would last only through March 2011, then the city would potentially have more than a dozen firefighters to hire. If all 13 left — on top of three recent retirements — that would jeopardize health and safety of the community, not to speak of the potential overtime costs if the city were down 16 firefighters.
On top of that are the long-term costs: If the city had to pay another $600 for an average of 12 years that would cost the city $86,000 per firefighter.
“So there is inequity there compared to non-firefighters,” Kaysen said.
Narva said the physical and health ramifications for firefighters are “significantly different” than that of an office worker. He said statistics show that a firefighter is 500 times more likely to get cancer.
“We have several retirees battling cancer and heart disease,” Narva said. “That’s one of the reasons health insurance is so important to us.”
Plan A firefighters — those hired before July 1, 1981 — may retire after 20 years of service. Plan B - hired after that date — are eligible for full benefits at age 50 and with 25 years of service.
Much of the department’s costs are personnel. According to the city treasurer’s office, the budget for Cheyenne Fire and Rescue is nearly $8.8 million; payroll is $8.4 million. This budget does not include fuel and maintenance costs for their trucks; those come out of public works’ budget.
The city rejected the union’s offer. Since the city is offering $30,000 buyouts to non-union city employees as a retirement incentive, Narva said it was a surprise that the city didn’t make such a counteroffer to the fire union.
“It’s a question of being equitable with other city employees,” Narva said.
The city’s offer is simpler: Cut the 1.5 percent pension raise that firefighters got a year ago and freeze the three spots recently vacated by retirements, which would save just over $100,000 for the rest of the budget year, said city treasurer Barb Dorr.
Also, the city’s offer would take the contract to the end of the fiscal year, which ends June 30. The union is looking at extending the old contract for another year.
Kaysen said it’s premature to look at 2011 — the city is waiting on forecasts and the outcome of the approaching Legislative session.
Narva and Kaysen had several conversations since the last formal sit-down. The next formal negotiation has not been scheduled yet. Kaysen hopes an agreement will be reached by February.
“I must say the union recognizes there is a need for the firefighters to help out and that is appreciated,” Kaysen said. “How will that happen? That is what we’re talking about.”
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