RYAN J. STANTON
Bay City Times (Michigan)

Bay City Commissioner John F. Davidson, 6th Ward, said this week's decision to lay off six firefighters was one of the hardest he's ever made and he's still emotional about it.

"It's a tough decision to tell people 'sorry,' but what can we do when our taxpayers are saying enough taxes are enough taxes?" he said.

That tough decision will be tested after Mayor Charles M. Brunner filed a veto on Thursday in response to the Monday vote by the City Commission to lay off firefighters to balance the 2009-10 general fund budget.

Brunner says he will put up a fight to save the jobs.

Davidson said he respects Brunner's right to veto, but he's not changing his mind.

"It's never the right choice to lay offpeople, but ... tough decisions are coming and they're here," Davidson said. "The mayor himself made the announcement about state revenue sharing possibly going away next year. That's $2 million out of our budget, and you're talking a tax appeal from General Motors that's $800,000."

Brunner told The Bay City Times two weeks ago he felt there was no choice but to cut into public safety to balance next year's budget. But in his veto letter this week he said public safety is one of the most important services the city provides and the city owes it to taxpayers to investigate all other expenses before cutting that service.

"Recent events including the latest reduction in State Revenue Sharing, the General Motors tax appeal, and the questions in regard to the change in health care have made it imperative that the City Commission explore the following," Brunner wrote, listing the following bullet points.

Re-examine the general fund budget, activity by activity.

A delay of City Hall roof construction for an additional year and redirect 50 percent of proposed fund balance allocation to resolve the general fund shortfall.

Re-appropriate the $140,000 for paid-on-call firefighters.

Explore the purpose and use of fund balance.

Re-examine all budgeted vacant positions in the general fund.

Re-examine the 1 percent administrative property tax administrative fee.

Explore salary reductions with all staff.

"We're very pleased that he's done it," Kurt Wagner, president of the firefighters union, said of Brunner's veto. "We're hoping the Commission will look at it wholeheartedly and take everything into consideration that he's proposing."

Brunner noted that his veto is not just against the firefighter layoffs but a veto of the entire $23.1 million general fund budget.

"I'm hoping that the Commission will say, 'Let's take a second look at it,'" he said, explaining his change of heart about cutting public safety. "The more I started thinking about it, I went back and there actually were things brought out at the last Commission meeting and we owe it to the taxpayers to sit down and go through this thing."

Wagner said the firefighters union strongly believes there are other places in the budget to look for cuts. He noted that the Commission has decided in next year's budget to draw about $300,000 out of the fund balance to study fixing three streets and another $400,000 from fund balance to put toward fixing the City Hall roof.

And there's still $500,000 left in the fund balance above and beyond the 15 percent threshold set by the Commission, which Wagner thinks could be set aside in escrow to cover for a potential repayment of taxes to General Motors if the automaker wins its tax appeal.

"Public safety should be a first priority," Wagner said. "You've got six commissioners who have pretty much voted to close a fire station in this town. As of right now, it will be Fire Station No. 5 on Smith Street."

Wagner said the firefighters union has been in talks with City Manager Robert V. Belleman about the possibility of offering retirement incentives to six firefighters who are eligible for retirement as a way to avoid layoffs from happening.

"We have six guys who are eligible to retire and the union is going to submit a proposal to the city manager today," Wagner said Thursday, suggesting that four of the six may be willing to retire. "If a couple things are met, they would definitely consider leaving."

Monday's decision to lay off firefighters came by a 6-3 vote with only Commissioners MaryJane Gorney, 5th Ward, Lori Dufrense, 4th Ward, and Marie Kurzer, 7th Ward, voting against it.

It takes six commissioners to override a mayoral veto, meaning if any one of them has a change of heart, the Commission's decision could reverse. Commissioners are scheduled to meet next at 6:30 p.m. Monday for their regularly scheduled Finance and Policy Committee meeting.

Publication Copyright Information
Publication Date