Kenner Fire Chief Terrence Morris used the Dec. 5 City Council meeting to respond to a vote of no confidence circulated by some department members and to address public concerns raised that day.

Morris told the council that the document outlining the vote was presented to him "about two minutes before the council meeting started," leaving no time to prepare a detailed response. He disputed assertions that the department is unsafe due to staffing shortages, saying the department is "greater staffed than it was when I walked in the door here six years ago" and that recent departures were unexpected but did not render the department unsafe.

Slidell Fire District No. 1 Chief Chris Kaufman spoke in support of Morris earlier in the meeting, calling Morris "the real deal when it comes to leading in the fire service," describing years of regional cooperation on salary studies, cancer screening initiatives and other joint efforts.

During public comment, resident Greg Taft asked that the city clarify an apparent $1.9 million discrepancy in the fire department budget and asked the administration to follow up. Ryan Nugent raised concerns about what he described as unnecessary replacement spending and failures to pursue warranty recoveries for fixtures, saying such oversights contribute to financial strain. Janice Price urged stronger code enforcement and said she had ongoing neighborhood issues involving trash, loud music and property maintenance; she told the council she had difficulty getting sustained response from code enforcement and the police.

Council members and Chief Morris responded to some of those comments: Chief Morris said the department conducts community programs during December, including Shop with a Cop and a bike giveaway, and defended staffing and public-safety performance. City officials offered to follow up with residents on code enforcement matters after the meeting.

The remarks were made during the meeting's public-comment period; no formal council action was taken on the vote of no confidence or the budget and code-enforcement items during the session.