Council Debates Three Resolutions

Despite a short agenda on Monday, the City Council held lengthy discussions regarding three resolutions, presenting multiple questions and concerns to the city administration regarding proposals that would potentially impact the city's annual budget.

The City Council's primary focus during Monday's meeting was to discuss a resolution that would lift the hiring freeze to allow the Jamestown Fire Department to hire eight additional firefighters to bring the fire department to full staffing levels under the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant.

While the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant would provide the city with $1,816,201 in funding over a period of three years, based on an estimate provided by Joe Bellitto, former comptroller, to the City Council, the total cost for hiring eight firefighters, purchasing turnout gear and covering benefits for each of the additional firefighters would be $2,119,678.

City Council members stressed the importance of considering the financial implications of hiring additional firefighters and emphasized the responsibility of elected officials to consider the long-term impact of the resolution, rather than just the immediate benefits.

If the City Council approves the hiring of eight additional firefighters and the city does not receive another SAFER grant after the initial three-year period, the city would be faced with an estimated total cost of $2,428,453, which multiple City Council members said would not be possible for the city to include in its annual budget. As a result, City Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large, said the city would likely be forced to lay off the newly hired firefighters after the three-year period of SAFER grant funding.

Finance Committee Chairwoman Kim Ecklund, R-At Large, expressed the council's financial concerns regarding the resolution and addressed the "rhetoric" in the community that has recently been directed at the City Council.

"There's a lot of rhetoric out in the community and I get it," she said. "It's a hot topic. This council cares very deeply about this fire department, despite what's being said out there, and especially 'Councilwoman Ecklund's refusal to bring it forward out of finance.' The job of finance is to get all the numbers before we bring everything forward, regardless of what the vote is, whether it's firefighters, whether it's spending money on a software program. It doesn't matter what it is, that's the purpose of the Finance Committee I want to make that clear and concise. The rhetoric is that everything is free. 'Why don't we do it for free?' This is just a prime example that it's not for free."

At the conclusion of the council's discussion regarding the financial implications of the SAFER grant and the hiring of eight additional firefighters, City Council President Anthony Dolce, R-Ward II, encouraged City Council members to ask Bellitto, Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Coon and city administration officials any additional questions prior to next week's voting session.

During Monday's work session meeting, the City Council also discussed a resolution that would lift the hiring freeze in order to fill an ombudsman position. Elliot Raimondo, corporation counsel, and Mayor Eddie Sundquist explained that the ombudsman position would fill a significant need in the city for human resources. The position would replace the former associate corporation counsel's position.

Finally, the City Council discussed a resolution that would authorize Sundquist to execute an agreement with Springbrook Holding Company, LLC. The resolution would also allocate $106,286.50 in American Rescue Plan Act Transparency and Tracking funds for the purchase and maintenance of a new finance and payroll software. While the new software would involve an increased annual cost for the city, city officials claimed that the software would save city finance employees a considerable amount of time and that the investment would be very beneficial for the city.