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Residents and officials clash over proposed fire-department reductions and staffing data
Summary
A Feb. 12 finance-committee meeting featured heated exchanges over proposed cuts to the fire department: Manager Steven Marks cited overtime and retirements as reasons to reconsider staffing levels; firefighters and residents disputed comparative cost figures and urged caution on cuts that could affect public safety.
Montclair — Residents, a fire-department representative and township officials clashed at the finance-committee community meeting on Feb. 12 over proposals to reduce fire-department staffing as part of broader cost-control measures.
Township Manager Steven Marks said the town spent about $1.75 million on overtime in 2025, cited three recent retirements and said a consultant’s staffing study raised concerns about burnout and inefficient daily staffing levels. Marks said the town is advertising to backfill vacancies but is also considering whether staffing five apparatus daily is appropriate given current personnel levels.
A fire-department representative (identified in the meeting as a member of the department) asked whether the finance committee had a target for fire-department savings. Marks estimated annualized savings from proposed reductions at roughly $750,000 to $1,000,000 if certain staffing adjustments are made, noting the estimate is “back-of-the-envelope” and dependent on timing.
Several residents pushed back strongly on cuts. One said Glen Ridge spends far less per resident for fire services than Montclair and urged cuts until Montclair residents pay no more than neighboring towns; the exchange grew heated as participants disputed who had credibility to argue for or against cuts.
Manager Marks defended the decision-making framework as a policy choice for mayor and council, stressing that public-safety trade-offs are ultimately a community decision and that more detailed cost-savings analyses would be provided. He said the original staffing study was presented to the finance committee and that some changes were time-sensitive because of recent retirements and overtime costs.
What’s next: Manager Marks said department-level hearings and detailed budget hearings will continue as the town prepares its March 17 budget introduction and that the manager’s office will provide more detailed staffing and savings calculations on request.
