Crystal Thomas
The State Journal-Register
At the outset of the city of Springfield’s budget presentations last week, budget director Bill McCarty hammered home one principle: “Without tax increases, you can’t cut to $11.5 million without touching police, fire and public works,” McCarty said, naming the city’s three biggest departments and referring to the deficit the city faces.
The statement weighed on aldermen during the city’s budget workshop Monday, as they asked police and fire officials about their spending plans. Police Chief Kenny Winslow presented a budget that was about 1.1 percent lower than last year’s, while Fire Chief Barry Helmerichs submitted a flat budget.
When asked by aldermen about what services they could live without, both chiefs turned the question back on the aldermen.
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The mayor’s proposed budget came with $3.7 million in cuts and $5.5 million in tax increases. He proposed a quarter-cent sales tax increase from 8.5 to 8.75 percent and a 2-percentage-point telecommunications tax increase from 4 to 6 percent, which would be dedicated to the library.
Police
Winslow cut $385,000 out of his budget. He requested the same number of officers the department has had since fiscal year 2012 and said he would hold off on new recruits until next January. His total requested budget from city general revenues is about $47.3 million. The budget also includes a six-month hiring freeze. He said 249 sworn officers, which is what he requested, is the bottom line for what the community could afford.
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Langfelder requested that security for City Water, Light and Power be supervised by city police. To do so, positions would be moved around. A commander would be promoted to assistant chief and would be paid with help from CWLP. A commander would no longer oversee the department’s finances, which would be handled by a new staff member in the Office of Budget and Management.
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Fire
Helmerichs asked for $40.5 million for next year’s budget. Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin walked Helmerichs through one of the “worst-case” scenarios laid out in Langfelder’s second round of cuts that might have to happen if a tax increase isn’t passed. He said his constituents have told him they preferred cuts in the fire department over cuts to police.
In order to lay off firefighters, according to firefighters’ collective bargaining agreement, 25 of them would have to laid off at once to keep a minimum manning of 43 firefighters per shift. That would mean two fire rigs would be taken off the street, Helmerichs said, and the nine cadets in training would never be hired. Then 16 of the least-senior firefighters would go.
“I think it’s important to learn how that would play out,” McMenamin said in an interview.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 