Late Wednesday Mayor Chris Louras vetoed the board’s rejection of his budget for the department, calling the aldermen’s move irresponsible and a violation of city charter.
“Only the Board of Aldermen can reverse their inadvisable decision to defund the Fire Department,” the mayor wrote on his Facebook page. “My veto allows them the opportunity to remedy their error.”
The board’s decision means that currently there is no new spending plan in place for the department.
According to the city charter, the board had to approve a budget before the end of the calendar year. At its final meeting Dec. 20, the board cut more than $1 million from the mayor’s budget but unanimously rejected a proposed $36,000 salary line reduction for the Fire Department. The department’s total proposed budget was $3.5 million, up $74,000 from last year.
Louras and the fire chief have said the salary line cut is tied to a proposed restructuring plan that would reduce by one the number of front-line firefighters on each shift and create two administrative positions. However, details have been scant, and the mayor has recently said the new positions would be filled by active duty firefighters who would be available to respond to incidents.
The firefighters union is adamantly opposed to any reduction in the number of front-line firefighters and has framed the issue as a matter of public safety.
“I had hoped that the board might have reconsidered its vote at its regular meeting on Jan. 3, 2017, but it did not,” the mayor wrote in a letter to the aldermen. “Therefore, for the good of the fire department, as well as the residents and property owners of the city, I have no choice but to ‘return the vote for a revote with my objections’ as provided in the charter.”
Members of the board are questioning the validity of the mayor’s veto, which must be filed within 10 days of the vote in question. If only business days are counted and official holidays taken into account, the mayor’s action meets the statutory 10-day window with one day to spare. But board President William Notte said the language in the charter is ambiguous on whether to include nonbusiness days.
“I think the mayor’s veto is invalid,” said Notte.
“You can’t interpret the charter just to make it work for you,” said board member Sharon Davis. “It’s 10 days, and he missed it. So the board will take no action because there’s no action to take.”
Board members said that even if they did address the veto, they would almost certainly overturn it, in which case the mayor and board would remain at an impasse.
But there are hints that a resolution may be in the offing. In his letter the mayor said that if the board adopted his spending plan for the department, his administration would “guarantee that a minimum of seven fully certified fire department members will be available to respond to any incident.” The mayor also said the new administrative positions would be filled from within the department by fully certified firefighters.
Wednesday evening Alderman David Allaire, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, and Davis met with Fire Chief Michael Jones.
According to Davis, the chief said he had no intention of decreasing the number of active duty firefighters and that the proposed cuts came from the mayor’s office. Davis said they encouraged Jones to meet with the union, have an open dialogue, and present his proposal.
She said the department would have to be creative in order to maintain current staffing levels under the mayor’s proposed budget but that it would be possible. “I think the public then would have an understanding of the proposal, which is different than the mayor’s proposal,” Davis said.
According to Jones, there is enough money in the budget to maintain current staffing levels and add the two administrative positions, which would expand the department’s capabilities. “There is money there to ensure that seven people respond per shift,” Jones said.
Allaire, who is challenging the mayor for his seat in the next election, said he hoped to find a solution to the impasse. “There are a couple of us, including myself, working very hard behind the scenes to try to come up with a compromise,” Allaire said.
Former Rutland City Fire Chief Robert Schlachter, who stepped down in 2015, said that years ago 12 firefighters were on duty for each shift and the number had been winnowed over time. “Personally I feel seven is the number that should be responding on a call at a minimum,” said Schlachter.
To be included on the Town Meeting Day ballot, the Fire Department budget must be sorted out before the end of the month. According to Notte, if that does not happen, a special election could be called at an additional cost to the taxpayers.
