Committees discuss staffing at HFR, HPD
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
With the number of emergency runs facing firefighters and EMTs at Hillsboro Fire and Rescue, Hillsboro Mayor Dick Zink said the staffing numbers are too low, and the city needs to seriously consider hiring more personnel before the situation becomes dangerous for Hillsboro residents. Members of the Hillsboro City Council said that since the administration is in charge of "the hiring and the firing" then they need to staff what is in their budget.
The civil service employee relations committee and the finance committee of the Hillsboro City Council met Monday in a joint session, prior to the regular August council meeting, to discuss Zink's July request to look into finding a way to increase HFR and Hillsboro Police Department staffing.
Zink said that staffing needed to increase so that there are four full-time firefighters per shift. He noted that during the past month HFR has averaged 10 calls per day. He has also said that the city needs to fund several position in the HPD after the retiring of several officers over the past two years.
Employee relations committee chairperson Bill Alexander asked, "With the budget you have now, is that something that something we're able to do?"
Zink said, "Well, we must be in good shape because we're continuing to make calls to the townships without doing anything. Evidently we've got the money to support outside the city so we should have the money to support inside the city."
As previously reported in the Highland County Press, Hamer, Jackson, Liberty, New Market, Paint and Washington townships (and previously Penn Township) pay for fire coverage from Hillsboro Fire and Rescue. They previously have not paid for EMS coverage, but have received it from the city. The city bills customers outside the city who receive services during squad runs. Individuals and insurance companies have paid only a small portion of what the city has billed. However, Hillsboro Auditor Gary Lewis has said that the city budget was based on the funds the city does receive from the townships, and if the contracts were cancelled, there would be a deficit spending situation for 2011.
Alexander asked Zink what he wanted the committees, and ultimately council, to do.
"I didn't want you to do anything," Zink said. "I just told (the president of council we needed the two people (hired on staff at HFR) and to bring the firehouse up to speed."
Alexander said that he wasn't certain what the committees were being asked to do. Zink said that Alexander needed to take that up with the president of council.
Directing a question toward Lewis, Alexander asked, "What is our financial situation in terms of adding police or fire?"
"We set our budget in accordance with our current staffing levels," Lewis said.
"And with our current budget, are there finance available for us to hire anyone else?" Alexander asked.
Zink said, "That's up to the finance committee."
During most of 2010 and into the first few months of 2011, Lewis projected that the city would end 2012 in the red if significant spending was not cut. In February, after more than $400,000 in expenditures were cut from the budget, council passed a balanced budget with a carryover of $70,000 into 2012.
Finance committee chairperson Peter Pence addressed Holt and Zink Monday, and said, "You do the hiring, you do the firing..."
"Who's going to pay them?" Zink asked.
"Do you have money in your budget to hire them?" Pence asked.
"Probably not," Zink said. "And there's going to be $94,000 less in the safety budget that you guys passed last month."
Holt said they did not have sufficient funds to make hires in the police department, and that he would have to check to see if there were funds in the fire department.
"We're going to have to come up with something to put these departments back where they belong," Zink said.
"I agree with you," Pence said. "And that's why we're trying to negotiate with the townships (for EMS contracts) to try to get them more in line with what they should be paying."
Holt later reported to the full council that he had sent a counter-offer to the townships two weeks ago, and that he has not heard back. The city initially said they would charge the townships $40 per township resident for the services. The townships countered with $22 per person. Holt did not say what the recent counter-offer was. Lewis had previously reported to the city that they could cover expenses and save for capital improvements such as equipment by charging $27 per person.
Zink said, "I guess my problem is, if we have the money to continue to lose going outside the city with fire/EMS the remainder of this year, then we should be able to come up with money some place. I don't know - it'll have to be run through Gary, to come up with something to take care of our citizens inside the corporation limit. Which I feel, that we're sliding."
"So are we to the point where we're not responding to calls inside the city?" Pence asked.
Zink said that over the weekend two Hillsboro squads were dispatched at the same time to township runs. While they were out, they received a call inside the city and the Leesburg North Joint Fire and EMS District, which provides mutual aid, responded to the call.
"In this kind of weather, you don't know who you're going to get when you call in," Zink said. "It's just a bad situation."
Alexander asked Lewis, "What was the purpose of the budget ... that we passed at the last meeting?"
"Excuse me?" Lewis said.
"The budget that we discussed at the last meeting. Was that the budget for 2012?" Alexander asked.
"That was the tax budget," Lewis said.
"So the actual budget that we're going to be using for 2012 is the one that you and the finance committee (are) going to be working on?" Alexander asked.
Lewis said the budget is typically determined once the city has learned the increases on health insurance and can have a better grasp on what the expenses will be for the following year.
"So the budget is going to be incorporating the revenue and the legitimate needs that the city has?" Alexander asked, and Lewis said yes.
Alexander asked if Lewis would be working with the administration on those items. Lewis said that by the time the budget came before council, which is typically in February, there would be a new city administration. Alexander then asked if they were going to just "defer" to the new administration, or if Lewis, Holt and Zink would be working on the budget now. Holt said that they will not "defer" anything, and that they will work on it as long as they can, but what happens after January is up to the new administration.
Zink said that he just wants to make sure the staffing issue is something that is continually worked on by council.
"Just don't forget about it," Zink said.
With the number of emergency runs facing firefighters and EMTs at Hillsboro Fire and Rescue, Hillsboro Mayor Dick Zink said the staffing numbers are too low, and the city needs to seriously consider hiring more personnel before the situation becomes dangerous for Hillsboro residents. Members of the Hillsboro City Council said that since the administration is in charge of "the hiring and the firing" then they need to staff what is in their budget.
The civil service employee relations committee and the finance committee of the Hillsboro City Council met Monday in a joint session, prior to the regular August council meeting, to discuss Zink's July request to look into finding a way to increase HFR and Hillsboro Police Department staffing.
Zink said that staffing needed to increase so that there are four full-time firefighters per shift. He noted that during the past month HFR has averaged 10 calls per day. He has also said that the city needs to fund several position in the HPD after the retiring of several officers over the past two years.
Employee relations committee chairperson Bill Alexander asked, "With the budget you have now, is that something that something we're able to do?"
Zink said, "Well, we must be in good shape because we're continuing to make calls to the townships without doing anything. Evidently we've got the money to support outside the city so we should have the money to support inside the city."
As previously reported in the Highland County Press, Hamer, Jackson, Liberty, New Market, Paint and Washington townships (and previously Penn Township) pay for fire coverage from Hillsboro Fire and Rescue. They previously have not paid for EMS coverage but have received it from the city. The city bills customers outside the city who receive services during squad runs. Individuals and insurance companies have paid only a small portion of what the city has billed. However, Hillsboro Auditor Gary Lewis has said that the city budget was based on the funds the city does receive from the townships, and if the contracts were cancelled, there would be a deficit spending situation for 2011.
Alexander asked Zink what he wanted the committees, and ultimately council, to do.
"I didn't want you to do anything," Zink said. "I just told (the president of council we needed the two people (hired on staff at HFR) and to bring the firehouse up to speed."
Alexander said that he wasn't certain what the committees were being asked to do. Zink said that Alexander needed to take that up with the president of council.
Directing a question toward Lewis, Alexander asked, "What is our financial situation in terms of adding police or fire?"
"We set our budget in accordance with our current staffing levels," Lewis said.
"And with our current budget, are there finances available for us to hire anyone else?" Alexander asked.
Zink said, "That's up to the finance committee."
During most of 2010 and into the first few months of 2011, Lewis projected that the city would end 2012 in the red if significant spending was not cut. In February, after more than $400,000 in expenditures were cut from the budget, council passed a balanced budget with a carryover of $70,000 into 2012.
Finance committee chairperson Peter Pence addressed Holt and Zink Monday, and said, "You do the hiring, you do the firing..."
"Who's going to pay them?" Zink asked.
"Do you have money in your budget to hire them?" Pence asked.
"Probably not," Zink said. "And there's going to be $94,000 less in the safety budget that you guys passed last month."
Holt said they did not have sufficient funds to make hires in the police department, and that he would have to check to see if there were funds in the fire department.
"We're going to have to come up with something to put these departments back where they belong," Zink said.
"I agree with you," Pence said. "And that's why we're trying to negotiate with the townships (for EMS contracts) to try to get them more in line with what they should be paying."
Holt later reported to the full council that he had sent a counter-offer to the townships two weeks ago and that he has not heard back. The city initially said they would charge the townships $40 per township resident for the services. The townships countered with $22 per person. Holt did not say what the recent counter-offer was. Lewis had previously reported to the city that they could cover expenses and save for capital improvements such as equipment by charging $27 per person.
Zink said, "I guess my problem is, if we have the money to continue to lose going outside the city with fire/EMS the remainder of this year, then we should be able to come up with money some place. I don't know - it'll have to be run through Gary, to come up with something to take care of our citizens inside the corporation limit. Which I feel, that we're sliding."
"So are we to the point where we're not responding to calls inside the city?" Pence asked.
Zink said that over the weekend two Hillsboro squads were dispatched at the same time to township runs. While they were out, they received a call inside the city and the Leesburg North Joint Fire and EMS District, which provides mutual aid, responded to the call.
"In this kind of weather, you don't know who you're going to get when you call in," Zink said. "It's just a bad situation."
Alexander asked Lewis, "What was the purpose of the budget ... that we passed at the last meeting?"
"Excuse me?" Lewis said.
"The budget that we discussed at the last meeting. Was that the budget for 2012?" Alexander asked.
"That was the tax budget," Lewis said.
"So the actual budget that we're going to be using for 2012 is the one that you and the finance committee (are) going to be working on?" Alexander asked.
Lewis said the budget is typically determined once the city has learned the increases on health insurance and can have a better grasp on what the expenses will be for the following year.
"So the budget is going to be incorporating the revenue and the legitimate needs that the city has?" Alexander asked, and Lewis said yes.
Alexander asked if Lewis would be working with the administration on those items. Lewis said that by the time the budget came before council, which is typically in February, there would be a new city administration. Alexander then asked if they were going to just "defer" to the new administration, or if Lewis, Holt and Zink would be working on the budget now. Holt said that they will not "defer" anything, and that they will work on it as long as they can, but what happens after January is up to the new administration.
Zink said that he just wants to make sure the staffing issue is something that is continually worked on by council.
"Just don't forget about it," Zink said.
[[In-content Ad]]