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Board of Aldermen approves budget shifts to cover $1.4 million in firefighter pay increases
Summary
The Board adopted amendments that reallocate roughly $1.4 million to the fire department to cover pay increases tied to recent Police Board raises, using one-time reductions from fleet capital and a police internal-services reserve, city budget director Paul Payne told the board.
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted to adopt budget amendments that reallocate about $1.4 million to cover firefighter salary and benefit increases stemming from raises the Police Board approved last week, Paul Payne, the city’s budget director, said. The board approved the amendments by roll call.
Payne told the board the package — added as items 14A, 14B and 14C to the proposed FY27 schedule — draws about $1 million from general-fund increases for fire salaries and overtime and allocates roughly $445,000 from the city’s fleet capital asset line to a special EMS reimbursement fund (G E M T). Payne said a further $1 million reduction in the police department’s internal-services “judgment” line was proposed because the police department expects to set aside funds this year that make that budgeted contingency available.
"This would be item 14 adding to last week’s amendments to address an estimated $1.4 million in additional cost to the fire department salaries resulting from the pay increases approved by the board by the police board yesterday," Payne said.
Board members who spoke praised the staff work in producing the offsets but repeatedly cautioned the changes are short-term. Members warned that if similar pay increases recur without new revenue, the city will need ongoing funding or cuts to sustain departmental pay across years.
The board also heard that the proposed reductions include trimming the fleet capital line from $2.6 million to $2.2 million in order to free about $445,000 for the salary offset, and that the police department has indicated it may set aside $5 million in the current fiscal year, which Payne said supports taking $1 million from the department’s judgment contingency.
A motion to adopt item seven, including the added amendments, was moved, seconded and approved by roll call (Mayor Spencer, Comptroller Banger and President Green voting in the affirmative). The board noted it will hold a special meeting Monday to complete budget actions in time for the July 1 deadline.
