02 City Council (8/28/03) - Laserfiche WebLink

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Regular City Council Meeting August 28, 2003 Page 6 than going to his present proposal? Chief Grooms said the overtime budget has automatic overtime and as you hire more firefighters there will be more automatic overtime. Mayor Fendley asked the Chief for his recommendation. Chief Grooms advised that he thought his firefighters would rather have the 5% raise and continue to do the work than to have the six new firefighters. Councilwoman Neeley asked if the City Manager's proposed budget had a 5% or a 3.4% increase. Chief Grooms said the proposed budget has the 3.4%. Councilwoman Neeley asked Chief Grooms if his handout had the 5% figure. Chief Grooms said yes. Councilwoman Neeley asked if the city could afford three new firefighters and the rank restructure. Mayor Fendley advised that he would assume that the overtime would bounce back up. Mr. Anderson said that the rank restructure cost that Mr. Grooms has in his proposal is base pay differential only and it is going to be over $100,000.00 by the time you add benefits to it without making allowance for the additional overtime and that $84,000.00 is an understated figure. Chief Grooms asked to address Councilwoman Neeley's question. He advised that his training officer had researched their daily sheets and looked at the number of shifts that required overtime when two people were scheduled off and someone else called in sick or was injured that would have been reduced if there had been one more person on the staff. For 2001-2003 there were 91 shifts and from 2002 to the present there were 81 shifts. He added that the one extra person would also have to have time off. After further discussion, Councilman Bell requested that Chief Grooms and Mr. Anderson to look at hiring three additional firefighters and get a budget impact with the rank restructuring included. Councilman Bell said that this Council needs to consider possibly adding three