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City manager outlines proposed firefighter shift change and urges support for school millage hearings
Summary
In staff comments the city manager told the council about a proposed firefighter schedule shift and described recent school board discussions about a proposed millage increase; the manager encouraged support for the schools and outlined upcoming public hearings.
The city manager used the Aug. 5 meeting to brief the council on two items: a proposed change to firefighter shift schedules and recent action by the Bulloch County school board on a proposed millage adjustment.
On staffing, the manager said a committee led by Fire Chief Tim reviewed several schedule options and proposed moving from the existing 24-hour shift schedule to a 48-on/96-off rotation (work two 24-hour shifts then off four days). The manager said the change is being advertised for employee feedback and that committees elsewhere have adopted similar schedules; the manager described the proposal as intended to provide more predictable time off for firefighters and their families.
On education funding, the manager said he attended a recent school board meeting and summarized the school superintendent's projection of an approximately $3.5 million shortfall tied to state-level adjustments and other factors. The superintendent proposed a millage rate increase to 10.4 (noting prior years of rolled-back rates), and the school system scheduled three public hearings in August, including an evening meeting where the board could vote to finalize the millage. The manager said he spoke at the school board meeting as a citizen urging support for the schools and encouraged council members and residents to participate in the hearings.
The council took no formal vote on either matter during the Aug. 5 meeting; both were presented as informational updates and next steps are matters for the school board (in the case of the millage) and for fire administration and employee engagement (in the case of schedule changes).
