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July 17. 2012 11:44PM
Manchester aldermen OK police, fire hires
MANCHESTER — Aldermen voted to authorize the fire and police departments to hire more officers and firefighters funded through federal grants, against the strong objections of Mayor Ted Gatsas, who argued that the new hires would saddle the city with “unsustainable” costs when the funding ends.
The aldermen voted at their meeting Tuesday to allow the fire department to seek a grant to hire eight firefighters through the SAFER program, which is administered by the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The grant would pay for salaries and benefits for the new firefighters for the next two fiscal years, at an estimated cost of $561,000 and $575,000 in 2013 and 2014. The city would bear the staffing costs of around $600,000 in 2015, but it would not be obligated to retain the firefighters beyond that.
Chief James Burkush told the aldermen that the new hires would allow the department to deploy another ladder truck on the West Side, a move supported by Alderman Dan O’Neil.
“In my opinion our city can be stressed at a number of times, and when we have a major incident, we have nothing left,” he said “We are a safe city, but we’re also challenged when we have multiple incidents.”
Gatsas strenuously argued against accepting the grant.
“Communities across the country are saying no to these grants because they don’t know where the money is coming from. That’s not just from me — that’s information the chief got,” he said.
Gatsas added: “We need to start looking out for what’s in our best interests in this city. When we get a letter from unions, it really upsets me when I see them referring to the Eastern Avenue fire.”
Gatsas was referring to a letter submitted by Jeff Duval, president of the Manchester Professional Firefighters Association, alluding to the “horrific Eastern Ave.” fire that was an impetus for hiring nine firefighters this year.
When the new budget takes effect, Duval wrote, “there will only be enough money for 190 line personnel. That is the same number as when the Eastern Ave. fire occurred.”
The vote for the measure and the veto override was 10-4.
A similar debate took place concerning the COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grant program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice and supports the hiring of military veterans as police officers.
The aldermen voted 11-3 to authorize the police department to use the grant money for five new officer positions. Police Chief David Mara said that the money could be used to pay the salaries of two recently hired officers.
The grant would provide $620,000 over three years to the city, while the city would bear costs of approximately $18,000 in 2013, $50,000 in 2014, $50,000 in 2015 and $233,000 in 2016, according to city Finance Director Bill Sanders.
Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur voted against both grants, arguing that the additional staffing on the city side would mean more layoffs in the schools.
“When we add $600,000 in 2015, you’re taking away that money from the school side,” he said, referring to the firefighter grant.
He added: “I don’t know why people think taking money from Washington is free money. Washington is so broke it make us in Manchester look like financial geniuses.”
However, Alderman Ed Osborne said public safety was his constituents’ highest priority.
“If people want us to gamble on something that’s going to happen three years from now, I think people would rather gamble on safety than anything else,” he said.
Ted Siefer may be reached at tsiefer@unionleader.com.
The aldermen voted at their meeting Tuesday to allow the fire department to seek a grant to hire eight firefighters through the SAFER program, which is administered by the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The grant would pay for salaries and benefits for the new firefighters for the next two fiscal years, at an estimated cost of $561,000 and $575,000 in 2013 and 2014. The city would bear the staffing costs of around $600,000 in 2015, but it would not be obligated to retain the firefighters beyond that.
Chief James Burkush told the aldermen that the new hires would allow the department to deploy another ladder truck on the West Side, a move supported by Alderman Dan O’Neil.
“In my opinion our city can be stressed at a number of times, and when we have a major incident, we have nothing left,” he said “We are a safe city, but we’re also challenged when we have multiple incidents.”
Gatsas strenuously argued against accepting the grant.
“Communities across the country are saying no to these grants because they don’t know where the money is coming from. That’s not just from me — that’s information the chief got,” he said.
Gatsas added: “We need to start looking out for what’s in our best interests in this city. When we get a letter from unions, it really upsets me when I see them referring to the Eastern Avenue fire.”
Gatsas was referring to a letter submitted by Jeff Duval, president of the Manchester Professional Firefighters Association, alluding to the “horrific Eastern Ave.” fire that was an impetus for hiring nine firefighters this year.
When the new budget takes effect, Duval wrote, “there will only be enough money for 190 line personnel. That is the same number as when the Eastern Ave. fire occurred.”
The vote for the measure and the veto override was 10-4.
A similar debate took place concerning the COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grant program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice and supports the hiring of military veterans as police officers.
The aldermen voted 11-3 to authorize the police department to use the grant money for five new officer positions. Police Chief David Mara said that the money could be used to pay the salaries of two recently hired officers.
The grant would provide $620,000 over three years to the city, while the city would bear costs of approximately $18,000 in 2013, $50,000 in 2014, $50,000 in 2015 and $233,000 in 2016, according to city Finance Director Bill Sanders.
Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur voted against both grants, arguing that the additional staffing on the city side would mean more layoffs in the schools.
“When we add $600,000 in 2015, you’re taking away that money from the school side,” he said, referring to the firefighter grant.
He added: “I don’t know why people think taking money from Washington is free money. Washington is so broke it make us in Manchester look like financial geniuses.”
However, Alderman Ed Osborne said public safety was his constituents’ highest priority.
“If people want us to gamble on something that’s going to happen three years from now, I think people would rather gamble on safety than anything else,” he said.
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Ted Siefer may be reached at tsiefer@unionleader.com.