SALEM Council debates fire department overtime, levy

Some fire department overtime is the result of training and military leave.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
SALEM -- With a fire levy on city council's agenda next week, council's committee of the whole debated fire department overtime and the proposed levy.
Auditor Jim Armeni said he is concerned about fire department overtime, which has been more than $100,000 per year in the past two years. He said the fire department will also likely exceed the $60,000 budgeted for sick time.
Committee members discussed use of sick time and the possibility of firefighters' opting for compensatory time rather than overtime, but noted firefighters could then opt to trade compensatory time for cash.
The committee discussed overtime caused by firefighters' being called in on off-duty time.
Councilwoman Mary Lou Popa questioned the fire department's responding to animal complaints, including 22 calls to get bats out of houses.
Law and contract
Safety Director Scott Cranmer said most of the overtime is covered to meet federal law or as provided in firefighters' contract. Under the contract, there must be four full-time firefighters on station each shift.
He said much of the overtime is covering for firefighters who are absent because of illness, training, military leave and in mutual aid situations. Some firefighters recently completed training as fire inspectors, and others will receive arson investigation training soon, he said.
Cranmer said anytime firefighters are called out of the city to assist other departments, others are called in to ensure the city is covered. He told Popa firefighters responding to animal calls would not result in overtime.
City council is to vote on a proposed fire levy at its regular meeting March 7.
More information
Councilmen Justin Palmer and Clyde Brown said residents need more information about city operations and planning if city officials expect them to pass a levy, whether it be an income tax or a property tax. He said he didn't think council should vote to put a levy on the ballot because there isn't enough support among voters for it to pass.
Brown said he agreed with Palmer -- citizens don't have enough information to pass a levy.
Palmer also said he would not vote for the proposed budget when it is presented because the council hasn't spent enough time talking about it, nor explaining it to the public. He said as a councilman not on the finance committee, he doesn't know much about the proposed budget.
Palmer said city officials want people to pay for projects without talking about the budget enough, and without having a long-range plan to show how the money will be used.
Legal practice
Councilman Walt Bezeredi and Auditor Steve Armeni discussed the budget process and said the city has operated on a temporary budget for several years, and the practice is perfectly legal. They asked Palmer if he requested budget information from the appropriate offices and suggested he take opportunity to ask more questions of department heads.
Bezeredi said Palmer's claim that city officials are operating without a plan is unfounded. He said there is a plan in place through 2009.