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Council hears Fire Chief on staffing needs, tables vote on adding two firefighters
Summary
Fire Chief Judd asked the council to add two full‑time firefighters to improve daytime and overnight coverage; council members agreed on need but voted to table the budget amendment for one month to allow finance staff to present funding options for the recurring $207,000 cost.
Fire Chief Judd (speaker 7) urged the council to approve two additional full‑time firefighters, saying call volume has increased and the department now responds to more medical calls and heavier rescue demands. "To me, Algood is the greatest place to live... As this city has grown... that's forcing the fire department to have to adapt and overcome," Judd said, outlining response-time and volunteer availability concerns and noting that volunteers increasingly cannot leave daytime jobs.
Chief Judd acknowledged the positions were not included in the current budget. Chair (speaker 3) and Committee member (speaker 2) expressed support for improving coverage but raised concerns about long-term funding, noting council estimates the additional recurring cost at about $207,000 per year and that the city is already over budget this year. Committee member (speaker 2) suggested giving Finance (mister Morrison) a month to present options for how to pay for the recurring expense rather than approving the amendment immediately.
The council voted to table the ordinance to add two firefighters for one month to allow staff to return with cost and funding recommendations.
