The North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Management Committee has passed its $55.9 million budget, which represents a 3 percent increase from last year’s $54.2 million budget.
NHRFR covers fire and rescue services of North Bergen, Union City, West New York, Guttenberg, and Weehawken, with each town contributing to the budget. The 2010 budget covers the department from this past Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.
NHRFR Chairman and Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said that towns’ contributions increased by 3 percent this year, which combined equal $49.9 million of the budget. The municipalities also contribute a separate amount to help the Regional pay mortgages for its firehouses and buildings, an additional $4 million. The Regional received no grants this year.
Turner said a large percentage of the budget covers salaries for the 273 employees.
“This is a very straightforward budget.” – Richard Turner
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According to Co-Director Jeffery Welz, from January to July, the department owed $1.2 million in terminal leave funds, while another 12 firefighters’ retirement packages, totaling $1 million, were passed at this week’s meeting. However, the most recent approved packages will now be paid over the course of five years.
Budget up
Nevertheless, this year’s budget rose slightly. The largest increase was in health benefits, which increased from $5.8 million last year to $6.8 million this year. Welz said that they were looking originally at around a 23 percent increase if they stayed with their former health care provider, Cigna. Instead, they signed up with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, which still increased health care costs by 16 percent.
He said that for the first time, the Regional’s communication center was included in this budget, rather than its own separate budget, which caused an additional $1.5 million increase.
The state had in years past allowed municipalities and government agencies to postpone their pension payments by different amounts. However, this year, the Regional had to catch up, which caused an 8.5 percent increase. Their contributions to the Public Employee Retirement System rose from $78,841 to $87,081, while the fire retirement system went from $3.6 million to $5.9 million.
“This is a very straightforward budget,” said Turner.
Turner said that they were able to save $600,000 by not filling retired staff members’ positions, but that crafting next year’s budget under a 2 percent cap will be a challenge.
New hires next year
At the meeting, Regional Firefighters Association President Dominick Marino questioned why the board was still waiting to hire more firefighters, and criticized officials for permanently closing firehouses a few months ago, stating that both actions had endangered North Hudson citizens.
The day after the meeting Tuner said that the Regional was looking to hire new members sometime early next year.
Marino also said that the Regional routinely ran on only three men per company, rather than the national standard of four. But Co-Director Michael De Orio said that for 21 out of the 45 days of summer beginning on June 15, the department had four men in each company.
“I would prefer 45 out of 45, but we are under the handcuff of economic times, but we are doing better than how we did last year,” said De Orio. He said that while vacation and sick time, along with union business, often made numbers drop, they always assign four men to each house.
North Hudson Fire Officers State Delegate Capt. Brian McGorty said that at a minimum, the department should make sure that all ladder trucks are manned by four men.
“As we prepare to get more men and more and more men are leaving, I think we need to look at four men on an apparatus,” said McGorty.
Turner said that they would take their comments into consideration.
Other resolutions
West New York Mayor Silverio “Sal” Vega was sworn in as a member of the management committee at the meeting.
The Regional also agreed to lease the recently closed firehouse buildings located in North Bergen, Union City, and Weehawken, to municipalities. During the meeting Tuner said that they wouldn’t actually charge for lease payments, since towns contribute to them anyway, but instead, for utilities, insurance, and upkeep.
Welz said that Weehawken plans to use the Jane Street firehouse as a police annex.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.
Other firefighter news
According to NHRFR Co-Director Jeffery Welz, the Regional Fire Officers Association agreed to concede to Regional officials this year and allow 14 firefighters to be promoted to captains without a pay raise for one year.
The officers union represents captains, battalion chiefs, and deputy chiefs.
Welz said that 26 captains have retired over two and a half years, but due to firehouses being closed to the current level of 15, only 14 captains were needed to operate under the new structure.
Welz said becoming a captain usually earns someone about a 30 percent raise in salary, with the starting salary beginning at $103,000.
They will get their raise after a year.