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Council removes proposed civilian EMS hires from budget pending union agreement; shifts funds from overtime
Summary
After a debate over staffing and union input, Richmond City Council voted to reduce proposed civilian EMS positions and cut a proposed overtime line item, with staff saying the positions could be added later if union negotiations yield an agreement.
Richmond City Council voted during a special meeting to amend the proposed 2026 budget by removing planned civilian EMS hires and reducing the proposed overtime allocation for first-response, citing the need for joint approval with the union.
Councilmember Justin Burkhart moved to amend several EMS line items, proposing to reduce the proposed salaries and wages for the civilian additions from $381,319.28 to $107,249; the Social Security line item from $35,249 to $25,250; the PERF contribution line from $42,708 to $4,404; and to reduce the proposed overtime from $539,000 to $339,000. Councilmember Gary Purcell joined the effort and the combined motion was seconded and carried by roll-call vote.
Fire Chief Jeff Kinder told the council the department has been understaffed for a decade and described the hiring and training timeline for medics and firefighters: hiring and full training can take months to years, and the department has used civilian medics as a bridge to reduce forced overtime and burnout. "We've not been fully staffed in 10 years," Kinder said, explaining the operational rationale for the civilian program.
Beth Fields, director of strategic initiatives, said the opioid settlement funds referenced elsewhere in the meeting have guidance on permitted uses and that staff maintain the documentation and annual reports to support eligible expenditures. Fields also told council the EMS fund has a cash reserve sufficient to allow an additional appropriation if the union and administration later reach agreement, and that any insertion of the civilian positions would require a return appropriation ordinance.
Councilmembers who supported the amendment cited the absence of a joint union agreement as the key reason for removing the civilian positions now and proposed using reduced overtime and reallocated line items to hold funds until negotiations conclude. Council also recorded that, administratively, funds can be moved within the thousand-dollar level without returning to council but that council preferred to formalize the decision through the motion voted on during the meeting.
The motion carried and was engrossed and called for final vote; roll-call names recorded show the council approved the amendment. Officials said the administration can return with a supplemental appropriation ordinance to restore the positions if negotiations with the union result in a sufficient agreement.
