Firefighters say no to budget cuts, propose new plan

Posted at: 11/12/2009 4:05 PM | Updated at: 11/13/2009 4:57 AM
By: Linzi Sheldon | WHEC.com

The city of Canandaigua needs to make serious budget cuts-- and some city officials want to cut the fire department by half.
    
But firefighters say safety is at stake, and on Thursday night, they presented a plan to save their jobs.
    
"You'll still have the same services, you'll still have the same people providing those services, and you'll still have cost savings," firefighter George Smith said.
    
Canandaigua faces a $1.7 million budget deficit.  City manager Kay James proposed trimming eight full-time positions and filling them with volunteers.
    
At a budget workshop in Canandaigua Thursday night, firefighters and city council members heard the details of the proposal.
    
Volunteer firefighter Bob Palumbo wasn't happy with it.
    
"We're opening this up to whoever wants to come," he said. "It's a dangerous job."
    
As city council members listened, James explained the reasons behind the cuts.
    
"Our revenues have declined significantly and unexpectedly," she said. "The fire department is a place where you can make a major change because you can have volunteers provide services rather than paid personnel."
    
But volunteer firefighters like Palumbo says it's going too far.
    
"Losing that many trained firefighters just makes our job a lot harder," he said. "Our job as volunteers is to support these guys, not to replace them."
    
Smith, a full-time Canandaigua firefighter, came up with a solution. He says they can save money by restructuring training overtime and relief calls, as well as using two-man minimum staffing and having one firefighter retire. He says these measures, plus others, will save more than five hundred thousand dollars.
    
James took a copy of his proposal and say she plans to look it over.
    
"We need to examine it a little more and see if the savings that he's got in there are real, if we agree with his numbers, and certainly whether the savings are ongoing and sustainable," she said. "Because as mentioned here tonight, one year reductions aren't going to help us."
    
James's proposal also includes cutting seven other city positions and increasing property taxes by a small amount.
    
For people who are interested in learning more, a public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, November 19th at 7 p.m. at Canandaigua City Hall.

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