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Posts Tagged Elgin city council may cut fire department overtime and staffing

Elgin Fire Department news (more)

Dec 26

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Elgin Association of Firefighters Local 439 has filed a grievance with the city and a lawsuit in Kane County to stop the city from cutting staffing levels until an arbitrator makes a decision.

The firefighters union says decreasing staffing from 34 to 32 firefighters per shift — a move approved by the city council to save $700,000 in overtime costs starting in 2018 — would cause irreparable harm to firefighters and pose significant risk to residents.

City officials dispute that, saying the proposed cut is all about efficiency.

The union filed the grievance Dec. 21. As per its contract, grievances first are filed with an assistant fire chief. The union then can appeal a negative response to the fire chief, then to the city manager, and then take it to arbitration.

The union also filed a lawsuit and emergency motion for a temporary restraining order on Dec. 22 in Kane County seeking to maintain staffing levels until the issue is decided in arbitration. The city agreed Tuesday in court to wait until Jan. 3, when the matter will be heard by a judge.

The cut would reduce on-shift staffing to 33 firefighters and a battalion chief across seven fire stations, with no layoffs. Stations 1 and 2 would go from six to five firefighters per shift, with a change in how jump companies operate.

Crews at those two fire stations currently jump between an ambulance and ladder truck depending on the call. Under the change, two firefighters would staff an ambulance and three would jump into either an engine or truck.

That would increase by two the ambulances available full-time. The fire service has changed and roughly 75 percent of calls are for ambulance services, Fire Chief Dave Schmidt said earlier this month.

Union officials claim data shows firefighters’ injuries have increased since 2005, when the department switched to a high-overtime model. Data verified from the city’s risk management department shows that is not true, and that the discrepancy is due to methodology and will be addressed moving forward.

thanks Dan

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Elgin Fire Department news (more)

Dec 24

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from an opinion piece at ChicagoTribune.com:

Elgin City Councilman Rich Dunne, a former fire marshall, earlier this month argued against a proposed cut of $700,000 from the fire department budget. While he lost that vote 7-2, the mayor agreed that more discussion is needed on how to fund the department.

The cut, which would not involve the layoff of any firefighters but would come from overtime, was necessary, the mayor said, and part of an effort to realign the staffing of our fire department to meet the current needs of the community, which show that over 80 percent of our calls for service are now for ambulances.

“The changes in staffing are consistent with the results of the recent community survey and the desire for prompt ambulance service. The residents should not see a significant reduction in service,” he said.

The city council’s decision to go with the reduction of overtime is in keeping with the need to cut expenses for the city. Yet, the mayor is asking for further discussion about fire department funding, saying the cut is not a good fix.

“We will continue to meet the needs of the community in the future by providing state of the art equipment, training and adequate staffing to make certain our residents receive the highest quality service available,’ the mayor said.

The concerns expressed by Dunne are valid. With the firefighters’ contract ending Dec. 31, there’s a need for more consideration of the issues.

It will be important for the city council to come up with a plan that will address all funding issues of the fire department that do not negatively affect the safety of residents. It is imperative that public discussions take place to insure the best possible fire protection services in Elgin.

thanks Dan

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Elgin Fire Department news (more)

Dec 23

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

Elgin trustees gave unanimous approval to a $259 million budget this week that increases taxes on gasoline and hotel stays, raises ambulance fees, and cuts staffing at the fire department.

The plan doubles the hotel/motel tax to 8 percent and adds a four-cents per gallon fuel tax at Elgin gas stations. It also increases water and sewer rates by 7 and 8 percent respectively. The city sales tax will increase from 1.25 percent to 1.5 percent. The average Elgin household will see a bump in property taxes to fund police and fire pensions, as well as for bond payments.

Staffing changes at the fire department would reduce overtime by reducing the number of firefighter/paramedics on shift at any one time, saving $1 million annually, city officials said. Increasing ambulance fees — charged only to non-residents — is expected add an additional $1 million in revenue.

The biggest financial change for Elgin may be the reduction in money collected from the Grand Victoria Casino, said Council Member John Steffen. “That was 23 years of revenue we were able to invest in the community. That is coming to an end.”

When the riverboat money began rolling in in 1994, it helped Elgin pull out of an economic depression the city had experienced.

While the board also voted to end its agreement with the Elgin Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, that organization will be renegotiating its agreement with the city in coming months.

The budget had originally called for discontinuing its funding of the agency, which markets Elgin to visitors. However, after learning the city would also then lose matching state funding, the move was made to instead doubling the hotel/motel tax.

 

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Elgin Fire Department news (more)

Dec 10

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

The Elgin City Council agreed this week to double its hotel tax and keep measures in place to reduce the number of firefighters per shift from 34 to 32.

The initial budget proposal would have raised the hotel tax from 4 percent to 6 percent, adding about $1.39 to the average room rental. It also would have eliminated the city funding for the Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Elgin city manager said that statements by council members indicated they wanted to find a way to continue to fund the bureau. So he suggested raising the tax a total of 8 percent, which would add close to $3 per night per room and bring in an additional $240,000.

Elgin has been funding the Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau since the 1980s, with money from a hotel/motel tax and a matching grant from the state. The bureau will receive about $212,500 from Elgin’s tax in 2017.

The proposed budget also posits $700,000 savings in fire department overtime by reducing two positions per shift, from 34 to 32 firefighters required to fill positions. The savings would be realized without the need to lay off firefighters by restructuring how 32 shift firefighters are deployed for service calls, according to the budget document.

This would reduce the number of shift positions from six to five at Station 1 on the east side and Station 2 to operate a jump company. The new staffing model will increase the incidence of ambulances available for EMS calls which is the overwhelming majority of fire department activity the document states.

Council member and former Elgin Firefighter Rich Dunne said the move could negatively affect the city’s Insurance Service Office rating and could increase the time needed to form teams to fight fires or handle other emergencies. Dunne said the reduction could affect the safety of the public as well as firefighters. The department already is down 12 positions in the last 10 years and is doing more with less.

To make up the $700,000, Dunne suggested that the city could bill businesses for fire alarm service, lease equipment instead of purchasing it, and consider allowing a proposal made by Elgin Association of Firefighters IAFF Local 439 for firefighters to get their health insurance through the Illinois Firefighters Association. He claimed the moves would cover the $700,000 gap.

The council voted down adopting Dunne’s proposals as part of the 2018 budget by a 7-2 margin. 

The mayor said he has concerns about the continued use of overtime to fill fire department shifts, a policy in place for 15 years in the hopes it would save money by not having the legacy costs related to hiring more full-time employees.

The budget discussions continue at 9 a.m. Saturday at City Hall. The public is invited to comment on the proposed $259 million 2018 budget and the 2018-2020 financial plan. Final approval is set to happen Dec. 20. The document can be viewed online at www.cityofelgin.org/budget.

thanks Dan

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Elgin Fire Department news

Dec 9

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 3 Comments

Excerpts from there DailyHerald.com:

The Elgin City Council appears inclined to cut firefighters’ overtime by $700,000 to help balance the 2018 general fund. On-shift staffing would be reduced to 32 from 34 firefighters at seven stations, yet city officials said that personnel responding to ambulance calls — which represent 80 percent of fire calls — would not be affected.

Councilman Rich Dunne, a former fire marshal, said at Wednesday’s council meeting the overtime cut would negatively affect safety, response times, and the department’s insurance rating. He proposed avoiding overtime cuts by increasing revenue. , including taking on fire alarm monitoring, buying into a larger health insurance pool through the state firefighters’ association, and leasing equipment.

Only one councilman supported Dunne’s motion. The others said they want to stick with the plan while looking into boosting revenue next year.

Elgin Association of Firefighters Local 439 has been lobbying to avoid the overtime cut, saying the department needs more, not fewer, people on shift. Union officials have asserted in recent weeks that firefighters’ injuries have increased since 2005, when the department switched to a high-overtime model. City officials say that’s not true.

Local 439 President Joe Galli said data from the fire department’s internal database shows injuries rose from 2 in 2002 to 60 in 2016, with a high of 98 in 2011. But the city’s risk management department data shows that there were 48 injuries in 2002 and 60 in 2016, with a high of 107 in 2011.

“Mr. Galli’s information is wrong,” City Manager Rick Kozal said. “Records retained by the city’s risk management department do not show any discernible trends with firefighter injuries. The staffing changes at fire stations 1 and 2 pose no additional safety risks to the firefighters.”

“If (Kozal) is disputing them now, we are not offended, but show us where they (the numbers) are. Prove it to us. Why wouldn’t you want to show it to us?” Galli said. 

Cogley said the union could have asked the risk management department for the data.

The firefighters’ contract ends Dec. 31, and the union has asked the city to engage in interest-based bargaining, which involves a federal mediator. The union said the process would be speedier and allow quicker implementation of agreed-upon revenue-boosting measures. The last time, contract negotiations lasted more than two years.

“The city has successfully bargained with its collective bargaining units using traditional methods and believes that is the best means for reaching agreement with the firefighters’ union,” Kozal said.

thanks Dan

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