With a federal grant running out and 19 East St. Louis firefighters scheduled for layoffs at the end of September, negotiations between union representatives and the city have resulted in a postponement of cuts that would have reduced ESL’s fire department by more than one third.
According to ESL City manager Deletra Hudson, she has asked the fire department to consider delaying the repayment of $382,259 in back pay in exchange for averting the proposed layoffs.
Firefighter and union representative Brian Gregory claims that ESL has an extra $525,000 in the budget which has yet to be earmarked for any specific purpose.
Brandon Drake, the budget director for the East St. Louis Financial Advisory Authority (the city’s oversight panel), has asked the city to keep the firefighters on the job through 2013 while negotiations continue.
Whatever the outcome, the citizens and the firefighters of ESL have been given a temporary reprieve from what would have been a disastrous outcome.
A reduction in firefighters would inevitably bring with it a substantial increase in the already obscene insurance premiums for ESL homeowners and businesses like the Casino Queen, a major employer in East Boogie.
With those layoffs, there would be an increase in response time and a decrease in coverage for a city which already struggles with safety challenges.
On the positive side, Hudson has stated that, should the layoffs take place, as many as eight firefighters would be rehired “long-term” in January, based upon budget projections.
Let’s hope so, because ESL’s fire department responds to as many as 1,800 calls in a 14-square-mile area annually. The last thing that’s needed is a reduction in that safety net, especially with the winter season approaching and an increase in the use of portable heaters and other devices which, if unattended, have the potential to start fires.
To their credit, ESL officials and firefighters could teach those responsible for the U.S government shutdown a thing or two about sublimating their egos and negotiating in the best interest of their constituents versus legislation through temper tantrums.
Hopefully, this will be a long-term solution to an ongoing problem which continues to plague an already struggling community which just can’t seem to right a slowly sinking ship.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com; Twitter@JamesTIngram.
