City Council Approves Funds To Hire More Firefighters

By Stephen Chupaska ,
The Day published on 5/1/2007 in Home »Region »Region News

New London — Citing concerns over public safety, the City Council voted 4-0 Monday night to add $201,000 to the city fire department budget.

The additional funds will increase the department's budget to $7,756,481 and enable the city to add two additional firefighters per shift, bringing the total per shift to 18, the minimum recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The city's proposed 2007-08 spending plan now totals $79.52 million.

According to a memo from City Manager Martin Berliner, the tax rate would rise between 0.07 and 1.41 mills, depending on the outcome of state budget deliberations.

“We won't know that until June,” he said.

The current tax rate is 29.93 mills.

“This will allow the fire department to act in a safe manner,” Rocco Basilica, president of the firefighters union, said of the funding approved by the council. The fire department has been operating with 16 firefighters per shift since 2005-06.

Basilica did not know if the department would be hiring more firefighters, calling it a “personnel decision.”

Deputy Mayor Kevin Councilor, a Democrat, called the vote “a simple matter of safety.”

“We could talk and talk about this but we'd still come back to safety,” he said.

Mayor Margaret Curtin said the money was “miniscule compared to a person's life.”

Councilor Rob Pero, who arrived late to the meeting and missed the vote, said he planned on offering an alternative plan — to add the $201,000 to the Personnel Department and then negotiate with the fire department.

“I would have done this a little differently,” he said, adding that it is uncertain how much money the city will receive from the state.

Pero also hoped to propose that the city add a volunteer corps of firefighters to supplement the fire department's professional members.

In another 4-0 vote, the city voted to add $20,000 to the Emergency Preparedness Department.

Councilor Beth Sabilia said most of that money will be reimbursed through grants.

Councilors Jane Glover and William Cornish were absent for both votes.

Stephen Chupaska is a staff writer for The New London Times.

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