Mayor’s Budget Gambles with the Lives of Citizens and Fire Fighters
Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 12:45PM In less than seven months, the Franklin Common Council mismanaged the City Budget and taxpayers’ dollars, into a forecasted deficit of $2.1 million (2009) and a projected $1.4 million deficit for 2010.
A month ago here is how Mayor Taylor explained how he was going to “fix things” in his 2010 Budget:
"What's really important is that this is a no-layoff budget. This budget that I'm recommending, for all intents and purposes, should not significantly diminish the levels of services and programs being provided by the city."
-Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor, FranklinNOW, September 29, 2009
Unfortunately, integrity is not one of Mayor Taylor’s virtues. Our double-talking, absent-minded mayor would have been a “straight-talker” with the following statement:
"What's really important is that this is a no-layoff budget. This budget that I'm recommending, for all intents and purposes, should not significantly diminish the levels of services and programs being provided by the city. By the way, did I mention that I have also imposed a hiring freeze on all city departments including Fire and Police?”
In a July 23, 2009, report (Page 3, Item 5.), Franklin City Treasurer suggests, among other things, that by leaving one (1) Franklin Firefighter position and two (2) police officers positions vacant—would result in a 2010 savings.
Mayor Taylor’s 2010 Budget decision to leave vacant, two emergency first-responder positions is irresponsible and reckless, and must not stand. As I see it Mayor Taylor and those on the Common Council who support this decision are playing Russian roulette with the lives of Franklin citizens, in order to make up for this body’s mismanagement and over-spending of public funds.
The Franklin Fire Department (FFD) is presently under-staffed and the Mayor and most Aldermen know this, as well, especially those in office in 2005.
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on America, a 28-page report was prepared and presented to Franklin officials by the Franklin Professional Fire Fighters I.A.F.F. Local 2760, detailing its safety concerns regarding unsafe department operations and proposed budget cuts for 2002. Unfortunately I cannot locate any public records concerning what, if any, actions resulted from this presentation.
In 2005 the Federal government, specifically the Department of Homeland Security, acknowledged FFD was under-staffed and awarded the department the SAFER Act Grant. The grant provided federal funds to offset the costs to the City for hiring six (6) firefighters over a period of three (3) years (2008). Unfortunately, and according to the Minutes from the Special Common Council Meeting on December 13, 2005, Alderman Skowronski moved to deny the request from the Fire Department to accept the grant for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER [Act Grant]) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) [currently under The Department of Homeland Security]. Seconded by Alderman Solomon. On roll call, all voted Aye. Motion carried.
Oddly and again according to the Minutes:
It was then moved by Alderman Olson, seconded by Alderman Sohns, to request the Mayor to enter into negotiations with the Franklin Firefighters Union for the goal of hiring three additional firefighters as soon as possible, remaining within the approved budget for 2006. Alderman Olson then withdrew his motion. After further discussion, Alderman Olson moved to request the Mayor to direct the Personnel Committee and Negotiating Committee to enter into negotiations with the Franklin Firefighters Union for the goal of hiring three additional firefighters as soon as possible, remaining within the approved budget for 2006. All voted Aye; motion carried.
I can’t get inside Alderman Olson’s head, and frankly just the thought of it makes me a little queasy, but what the hell was all that about?
CONTINUED. . .
From where I stand it appears to be the usual political gamesmanship regularly played-out at Common Council Meetings by Olson and Sohns.
My research shows that since then, FFD’s service calls have increased 24%. Chief Martins has eliminated one (1) management position through reorganization, thereby allowing for more fire fighters available on a day-to-day basis.
As reported here in September, while Mayor Taylor freezes City employee’s salaries and prevents the filling of vacant fire fighter and police officer positions, he’s quietly providing for bonuses to a top aide and pay raises above the average in the private sector.
The nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2001 edition Standards document notes:
”The fire department’s fire suppression resources shall be deployed to provide for an arrival of an engine company within a 4-minute response time and/or the initial full alarm assignment within an 8-minute response time to 90 percent of th incidents as estimated in Chapter 4."
The Franklin Fire Department’s average response (fire call only) time is currently 11:37.
ENOUGH is ENOUGH!
Since July, when the Mayor Taylor requested all City departments cut 4% from their budgets, and left vacant FFD positions unfilled, the Franklin Fire Department’s full force stands at 10 firefighters per day.
Frankly, in the past I’ve supported this sort of “tough love” budgeting, however, armed with what I have recently learned and researched on my own, I fully support the filling of the vacant fire fighter position, and hope you’ll join me and voice your opinion on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 6:30PM at City Hall for the Special Joint Finance Committee/Common Council Meeting.
TAKE A STAND!
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Reader Comments (2)
MAYOR TOM TAYLOR: THE MAN WHO STRIPPED THE TITLE, “THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN SHOW BUSINESS” FROM JAMES BROWN
The tactic of threatening to decimate our protection by reducing the Fire and Police Departments is just another example of the “sewer politics” emanating out of Franklin’s mayor and the budget committee.
The commodities being proposed for cuts will always be the kinds of things that panic the public. The purpose of this proposal is not responsible governing but public conning.
The scheme is to appall the taxpayers by the threat of debilitating the most prized intities of a community – Fire and Police protection. This, it is hoped, would instill a community panic attack and then a reaction of support for the budget including replies of: “Go ahead, raise our taxes if things are as desperate as this.”
This is the ol’ sly Brer Rabbit ploy to get what he wanted from Brer Fox after he caught him. He exclaimed, "Oh please Brer Fox, whatever you do, please don't throw me into the briar patch." [ Those unfamiliar with this American Folktale….Brer Rabbit was bred and born in the briar patch.]
Tom’s “Tar Baby” threat, hopefully, won’t “catch and hold” the majority of those in Franklin who understand his political stratagems.
“If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
UC:
There’s certainly a great deal of truth to your evaluation of the mayor’s political motives, strategies and tactics on this issue, but I see a close resemblance between Mayor Taylor’s fire fighter/police officer hiring predicament and President Obama’s Afghanistan war policy. Consider this.
Obama appointed Gen. McChrystal as Commander in Afghanistan to shake up a deteriorating war effort and in-short, won’t “pull the trigger;” add more troops, and implement the war strategy presented to him by Gen. McChrystal whom he presumably hired to change the course of the war.
Mayor Taylor appoints his own Generals (Chief Martins and Chief Oliva); experts in their respective fields, and presumably ignores their advice to fill necessary, vacant positions. Without question, Martins and Oliva should be required to statistically justify filling these vacancies—and I believe Chief Martins has—but if the mayor doesn’t trust, and won’t accept justified staffing requests from the “generals” responsible for the city’s front line public safety, then maybe the Mayor should relieve them and appoint new “generals” in their place. But with all the deserved praise and accolades the mayor regularly heaps on both men and their departments, I suggest the mayor start walking the talk, and maybe, just maybe, he would gain some credibility with reasonable-thinking constituents.