Fire Department Contract Update

The monthly income tax revenue report is out today. This month the income tax revenue for New Philadelphia is $101,121 less than November of last year. That puts us $450,872 behind last year at this time. We're not alone in this. It isn't hard to find cities all around us who have financial troubles, Akron, Canton, Lakemore, Cleveland, even Tuscarawas County.

The news is filled of late with stories of cutbacks, layoffs, required days off without pay, and other measures designed to decrease spending and adjust to the fact that the money just isn't there. Administrations, City Councils, and government employees are sweating out ways to make do with collapsing budgets. Pay raises are being cut back or eliminated, purchases are being scaled down or eliminated. And New Philadelphia, in its own special way, is on the road to break the bank.

City Firefighters refused to back off on their demands for pay and benefit increases after City Council didn't go along with them. I guess city Council didn't understand the importance of increasing payrolls during this time of economic disaster. In any event, their contract went to a fact finder on November 24, and his ruling will be, according to the Mayor, available to Council sometime during the week of December 7. A meeting is in the works to discuss this contract in the Finance Committee on December 14, immediately before the regular Council meeting. Now, for the clinker. Council has seven days after they receive the fact finder's decision to accept or refuse the fact finder's ruling. If they don't meet that deadline, the contract automatically goes into effect.

Seems like another good deal, if you are in the Administration or employed by the City. They know what is going on, but Council doesn't have the foggiest idea because, as usual, they have been cut out of the the process. No briefings on this contract. None of the open communication promised by the Mayor. Just a terse letter, unsigned as usual. So what is Council going to get with no more than seven days to digest it? A 46 page document and a half-an-hour or so before the Council meeting to get a briefing on a contract which will bind the city for three years during a depression. Way to go!

Now for the good news. There are three more contracts in the wings. The Fire Fighter contract may be the inexpensive one. You'll love the Police contract (see New Philadelphia Police Contract, 11/17). Have no clue about the other two. They are still in the secrecy stage.

Oh, yeah. One other thing. You know who is going to pay the bill. That's our job as citizens regardless of the insanity of proposals.