10/06/2026
When people start pointing fingers at employees in government is it fair? Do unfunded mandates at the Federal Level have major impacts on local governments? Do political parties not agreeing on issues trickle down to local governments?
Let’s try to agree, municipal budgets in FY27 are very different than just a year ago. At every budget hearing this past year it was said, this budget has major challenges and next years budget will be worse. The City and school department laid off employees, cut budgets, and raised taxes over 5%. That did not included any assessments on property values.
Now let’s look at the Fire Department, and for the record Anthony Leite is not the President of the Firefighters Union, so phone calls to a person who no longer is the President of the Union most likely won’t be returned. Ask around and you will get the Union President.
Last fiscal year , FY26 the City budgeted $23,018,535 for permanent salaries and spent another 3.8 million dollars in overtime. The staffing level for last fiscal year was 213.
This fiscal year, FY27 the budget for the Fire Department permanent salaries was set at $23,503,110 and the overtime budget was set at 2.6 million (the question was asked, was this going to be enough). The staffing levels were reduced in the FY27 budget from 213 to 203 (remember the fire department union pushed to get minimum staffing levels because the city wanted to reduce the number to 197, but a judge forced the city to add the 6 firefighters back to the 203 number).
Currently the City has not filled any vacancies since December of 2024, leaving the department down 7 firefighters from retirements and more to come this year. So the number is currently at 196 as reported last City Council meeting. This certainly will cause overtime.
When you add up FY26 the total permanent salaries and overtime cost the total cost for that year was $26,818,535. When you add up the total funded for FY27, the permanent salaries and overtime it comes to $26,108,110 or a reduction of 2.6% from FY26.
This years budget also saw a negotiated raise of 2%, so at a bare minimum the budget would be down 4.6% but it is more due to overtime is at time and a half.
With the loss of 10 positions from the FY26 budget of 213 firefighters to the FY27 budget of 203, one would think overtime would increase, not drop by 32% from 3.8 million to 2.6 million. I understand why this number was chosen because there was no appetite for a tax increase over 4.5%, but just recently that number was increased again from 4.5% to over 5%. At one point three years ago, I said that 223 should be the number to cut all the overtime.
What causes overtime? Understaffing will cause overtime (if you set a number at minimum levels and give employees 15 sick days and vacation days, you will need overtime, fact), sick leave a benefit negotiated by government, vacations when staffing is at bare minimums, FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) a Federal law, and retirements when staffing levels are at a bare minimum.
Currently there are two choices, raise taxes by another 1.5%-2% to cover the short fall, or close companies? This is an immediate need or the deficit will increase.
In the past, there were places in the budget because of the ARPA funds to cover the shortfalls. We used ARPA funding and open position funds to cover the overruns.
With the cost of inflation, gas, electricity, healthcare, infrastructure, and more there simply is no place to get the funds.
Residents are feeling the same pressure everyday with the same issues.
When people point to employees abusing a benefit, I would say, if that is true (I have no idea), why hasn’t this been addressed? Over the last for fiscal years, the average cost of overtime was over 3 million.
FY26 3.8 million
FY25 3 million
FY24 2.3 million
FY23 3 million
At the same time each fiscal year the employees saw raises, does anyone really believe, reducing staffing by 17 and giving raises would not increase overtime? And if there is abuse in anyway, shouldn’t that have been addressed? If FMLA is the major driver to the high absenteeism, again it is an unfunded mandate that has been in each years overtime going back years.
The numbers are here. If management has been holding employees accountable for sick time use, then the cost is due to mandates, benefits, and understaffing.
When I first got elected and every year since, this overtime account has been a fiscal question. We either needed to hire more employees to reduce the overtime, or pay the overtime to the current staff to keep the company’s open.
There is no question as we have seen in other communities that cut teachers, firefighters, police officers, DPW workers, clerical staff, and more these are tough fiscal times and residents can’t afford more increases.
There are three choices, raise taxes, close companies, or find other areas to cut within the current fiscal years budget.
