“The recent cutback from 12 hours of fire coverage per day to 8 hours of fire coverage per day will cause problems in time,” Fire Chief Ray Sweat said.
The Town Council voted to amend the budget in a 5-1 decision in early December. Mayor Rusty Jessup and council members Jimmy Hollander, Joyce Silvers, Rob Hayes, and Kenny Womack voted for the amended budget. Councilwoman Rachelle Painter voted against the amended budget. The budget was effective immediately.
Jessup said the amended budget included cutting back fire department coverage from 12 hours a day, seven days a week to eight hours a day, seven days a week, cutting back the building inspector from five days a week to four days a week, cutting back on the police department salary (continue using part-time police officers instead of hiring full-time officers to fill the two vacant police officer positions), taking the mayor’s salary from the water department budget, and other across-the-board cutbacks. The Town also recently laid off one employee from the water department.
“We didn’t expect it to be this bad when we prepared the budget back in July and August,” Jessup said. “And we may be forced to implement further cutbacks if things do not improve.”
Jessup said cutbacks were necessary due to an estimated possible deficit of $125,000 in the Town’s general fund. The amended budget reduced that estimated possible deficit to $38,000.
Sweat said the cutbacks put Riverside back to the same fire coverage it had one year ago, when the Council voted to extend fire coverage by four hours per day.
“We increased the Town’s fire coverage with the understanding that the Town’s general fund would supplement any shortfall in the fire fund,” Jessup said. “But the Town’s general fund can’t continue supplementing the fire fund at this time.”
Jessup said in FY 2008-2009, the Town spent more than $50,000 from the general fund to supplement the fire fund.
“We have missed 3-4 calls in the last month or so,” Sweat said. “Probably half of that is due to 8 hour coverage instead of 12 hour coverage.”
Sweat said the Town’s volunteer fire department is running short on volunteers, who respond to calls during the hours not covered by paid employees.
“We used to have about 15 volunteers, but we are down to about half that now,” he said. “We need more volunteers.”
Sweat said volunteers are hard to come by, and are required to take a 60-hour training course.
“We understand the town is hurting, and some cutbacks have to be made,” he said. “But it will cause problems down the road.”
If anyone is interested in volunteering for the Riverside Volunteer Fire Department, call Ray Sweat at 205-338-7692.
Post a Comment
