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City Council Meetrng <br />August 10, 2004 <br />Page 2 <br />staffing, but the NFPA has guidelines and recommendations. He said he has <br />already expended 88% of his overtime budget this year for a total of <br />$247,345.00, year to date. <br />Mayor Fendley asked if sick leave was the driving factor for so much overtime <br />or was it continuing education. Chief Grooms cited sick leave as one of the <br />many factors that affect sick leave. He said there are different variables that <br />drive up overtime, such as sickness, injuries and training. <br />Councilmen Bell mentioned that the Fire Department recently conducted <br />training for drivers and wondered, since some of the men were called in to do <br />that on their days off and some of the men had been drivers for twenty years, <br />wasn't there a better way to do this. He suggested several different ways this <br />could be addressed, such as video training or bringing in the teacher on <br />overtime while the drivers were on duty. <br />Councilman Bell reminded Chief Grooms and the Council that the last Council <br />had told Chief Grooms that he needed to come forward with a plan to reduce <br />overtime and instead, he came forward with an increase. Councilman Bell <br />agreed with Councilwoman Fisher that it wasn't doing any good to take money <br />off of salaries and add it to overtime. <br />Chief Grooms said there was a perceived need by personnel, because of a <br />wreck, for this training. Councilman Bell asked that overtime and personnel <br />cuts be discussed after they went through the Fire Department budget, line item <br />by line item. <br />Chief Grooms said Food for Humans could be taken down from $1000.00 to <br />$300.00. He explained they use this to feed personnel on scene at a large fire <br />and also to buy water and gatorade. <br />Chief Grooms explained that wearing apparel is dependent on the number of <br />employees he has and if the number of personnel is reduced that line item <br />