Steven Spearie
The State Journal-Register
Springfield Fire Chief Brandon Blough said he will continue to look at the department’s budget in light of an amendment that trimmed away $1.4 million last week and Mayor Jim Langfelder’s call to hold the line on any layoffs.
Langfelder and Blough met with city budget director Bill McCarty, Corporation Counsel Jim Zerkle, SFD operations chief Jeph Bassett and other personnel Tuesday ahead of the city council meeting.
On Monday, Blough said he visited several fire houses to talk to firefighters about the reality of personnel cuts.
Langfelder, Blough said earlier, “has illustrated to me on no uncertain terms that he does not want me to lay people off. I have illustrated to the mayor that the budget cut that was passed has no other way out from my perspective.”
Firefighters Local 37 and the city will be going into contract negotiations in the next week or so. The previous contract expired Monday, Blough said.
Blough said he wasn’t going to apologize for making the rounds Monday, adding that while firefighters understand what’s happening to the department, it is a more precarious situation than “anyone of us expected to be in.”
“What I’m trying to instill is a little bit of positivity and confidence that it’s going to get better,” he added. “We’re going to battle some challenges coming up and that’s hard to do, but it’s very important that everyone involved hear it from me.”
Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, at the city council meeting, reminded Blough that the introductory amendment made by Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath was not “a layoff amendment” and that Blough was making “a serious mistake in judgment and position” in informing his men about possible layoffs.
“This here is the policy-making body,” McMenamin said, referring to the council. “You’re not the policy-making body. I think it’s unfair and inappropriate to scare our firefighters that way, especially the young ones, who would be the first to be laid off.”
During the discussion, McCarty clarified that $1.26 million of the cuts came from te SFD’s personnel line item.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 