9 firefighters accept deals to leave department

GALVESTON — Nine members of the fire department have accepted an enhanced termination package, removing the need for any enforced layoffs as the city attempts to reduce its operations budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

But the firefighters so far have not accepted an offer to swap increased salaries for the scrapping of special days off known as Kelly days.

Steve LeBlanc, the city manager, told the city council Wednesday the nine firefighters had agreed to a severance package that paid them each $20,000 more than the standard termination compensation, which is based on length of service and includes payments in lieu of vacation and sick days not taken.

“As a result, there will be no layoffs,” he said during the city’s sparsely attended public hearing on his 2010-11 budget proposals.

“We will still have 30 firefighters per shift and four firefighters per fire truck, plus six in reserve to cover vacations, sick leave and other absences.”

At three shifts per day, that amounts to a total departmental establishment of 108 firefighters, the number LeBlanc was seeking to achieve in his proposed budget cuts.

He did not say why nine termination acceptances had proved sufficient although his original need was for 12 layoffs, reducing the staffing level from 120 filled positions.

But he has another opportunity to complete the math at today’s council workshop when the budget will be discussed despite the absence of Councilman Steve Greenberg as today is a Jewish religious holiday.

Meanwhile, the city manager is continuing negotiations with the firefighters’ union to persuade its members to accept the ending of Kelly days, a system by which each firefighter is allowed eight 24-hour absences per year in lieu of overtime.

“We have offered them a compensatory raise of $1,000, which would cost us $108,000 a year, or a contribution of that amount to their pension fund, but so far I haven’t heard the result of their vote,” he told the council members.

“If they don’t accept the scrapping of Kelly days and council members agree with them, I will need to find $650,000 from the proposed operations budget.”

That figure, too, differs from the amount originally calculated as the city’s annual cost of Kelly days.

LeBlanc told the council members Aug. 12 the system costs $875,000 per year. He did not explain the difference Wednesday.

The city manager said he also still is negotiating next year’s compensation terms with the police officers’ union.

“If the officers accept our offer, it will cost $200,000, which also has to come out of the operations budget,” he said.