Committee challenges fire-department overtime and approves targeted budget reductions

The Health & Safety and Finance committees spent extended time scrutinizing fire-department overtime and staffing. Committee chair Robert Taylor led a review of multi‑year overtime totals and urged tighter controls to avoid recurring large payouts that affect the city’s fiscal health.

Taylor presented overtime figures and argued that the city should avoid paying overtime merely to hold six firefighters on duty, saying the contract minimum is five. He urged administrative enforcement rather than legislative changes to pay rules. "If every year, from the current budget, we can save $200,000… you're talking about buying a police cruiser, paying somebody's contract out, [or] a down payment for an ambulance," Taylor said.

The law director cautioned that unilateral legislative restrictions on overtime pay would be legally risky because bargaining agreements and federal wage rules constrain council action. Committee members nevertheless directed staff to pursue reporting requirements and considered budgetary leverage.

At the finance committee the group voted to reduce appropriations: a $13,000 reduction from a general-government code-enforcement personal-services line (maintaining demolition funds) and a $120,000 reduction from the safety-forces fire personal-services line. Members said those moves aim to force managerial action to bring overtime in line with the budget.

Next steps: finance will prepare legislation to effect the re-appropriations; staff and the mayor’s office were asked to enforce overtime controls and report back.