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Regular City Council Meeting <br />August 19, 2003 <br />Page 3 <br />Councilman Bell said he was totally confused by the ordinance that was shown <br />to him from last year, and wanted to know what is the city's planned staffing. <br />The City was supposed to be reducing according to last year's Council. He <br />wanted to know if the city was still planning to reduce the fire staff. <br />Councilman Bell said he understood that you were going to reduce the staff by <br />six and that one left, and five were left to be reduced by attrition and that <br />ordinance is there. Councilman Bell wanted to know if this staffing is with <br />those five firefighters. City Manager Malone advised that, last year, at the time <br />they were having budget workshops, there was one vacant position, and there <br />was discussion about eliminating six positions. Eventually the City Council <br />elected to eliminate one position that was vacant and to eliminate five positions <br />throughout the year by attrition. The City Manager advised that this budget <br />proposes to maintain the 32 and add one back and this would put us back <br />where we were. <br />Councilman Weekly entered the council chambers and assumed his seat at the <br />council table. <br />City Attorney Schenk advised that the ordinance would be amended to reflect <br />the one firefighter being placed back in the department. <br />Mayor Fendley asked Gene Anderson to explain the fireman's pension plan. <br />Mr. Anderson advised that the firemen have had their own pension plan since <br />1948. They currently contribute 10% to that and the city matches that 10%. <br />They have their own governing board and it is separate from TMRS. He said <br />only civil service employees are in that pension plan. <br />Councilman Bell asked what it would cost to add another 2% to the fireman's <br />retirement fund in order to bring it in line with the retirement for other city <br />employees. Mr. Anderson said it the cost would be approximately $42,000.00. <br />Mr. Anderson also said that once you change the percentage of your <br />contribution to the fireman's pension fund, unless you vote to reduce it, it never <br />changes. Mr. Anderson said the TMRS was increased making that change <br />