Tough enough

The City Council’s budget and finance committee heard this afternoon from Fire Chief Ron Hittle, who said his department is expected to be some $4.4 million over budget this year and that he cannot do anything about it (The Fire Department is 90 percent labor, and labor contracts rule). In October, when the administration failed to exact from the firefighters union some $7.2 million in concessions on which the city budget relied, City Hall knew fire would go over.

Hittle’s presentation was brief and without confrontation. Councilman Dale Fritchen called it “helpful.” He praised the firefighters union, too. He said, “I can’t go on without not thanking the representatives for the firefighters union. They have, from my experience being on the council, always been the first to come forward and try to see what they can do to help out the city in tough times.”

The meeting sounded then as if it might end, but there still was business to attend, and interim City Manager Kevin O’Rourke mentioned it.

“I think before we leave the matter, though, it comes back to the issue that we don’t have permission from the City Council to allocate the money projected to be needed to balance the Fire Department’s budget by the end of the year,” he said.

Fritchen said, “That’s what brought us here today.”

Right, O’Rourke said.

“So with this presentation, is there any direction from the budget committee as to how we should proceed as far as curing our problem?” O’Rourke said.

For the second time in two months, the committee declined to do so. There is no rush to allocate money, and to withhold it would remind the department that it is over budget, members said. The committee is to consider the matter again in January.

Later, Mayor Ann Johnston, who attended the meeting, said it might be acceptable to let the Fire Department carry a budget deficit into Fiscal 2010-11. She said she has not yet decided how she would vote on an allocation if it is recommended to the council by committee.